The Price of Retribution
by FaeMe
Summary: Nothing can stop Bo Dennis from carrying out her dark plan in order to get revenge for the death of her family…that is, until a tall blonde doctor gets in her way. AU, Human, Bo/Lauren, Bo/Other Characters, Multi-Chapter, Romance/Drama/Angst, Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: This is my first attempt at writing a fanfiction. It's my way to honor and remember the TV show and its characters. English is neither my first nor my second language so feel free to review and help me do better.**

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A drastic decision would be made. Little did she know it would change the entire course of her life.

It was a particularly warm afternoon. The smell of spring was greatly welcomed. As much as she loved winter, Bo Dennis had been waiting impatiently for weather conditions like this to come by so she could comfortably go for runs on her favorite trail. The trail would start off from the municipal park and serpentine the river down to the lake. It was rather a long trail and Bo had never made it to the lake by foot before. However, what she enjoyed the most was running across the woods and listening to the sound of leaves rustling, away from the busy streets of the town. She had always been a city girl but had discovered at an early age that she benefited a lot from the relaxing sound of nature when she had to reflect on serious matters. Like that time when she had to choose what she wanted to do, debating between becoming a journalist or an archaeologist when it was time to apply to university, after she took a year off after high school, nine years ago. The latter was her final choice and until this day, she hadn't regretted her decision as it allowed her to choose which project she wanted to be part of even if most of the time, it paid so little. Sometimes, she had felt like she was doing voluntary work when seeing her paycheck after spending long days and even weeks digging dirt and graves. Nevertheless, she found her job enriching if not all the time rewarding because she had had the opportunities to travel to no less than a dozen of countries so far, from one hemisphere to another.

Bo had been living with her grandparents since her own parents passed away in a car accident when she was still a kid. Bo was so lucky to have them as they did a tremendous job at giving her the most normal life possible a kid could have. They wanted her to lead a happy and fulfilled life. They were so devoted to her and basically raised her as their own. They surrounded her with love and gave her all their attention and whatever was required for her to overcome the tragedy that struck her family. They had to stay strong for Bo while copping with their own lost. Unfortunately, one of her two guardian angels had left her as well; her grandmother Isabella passed away ten years ago, but only to leave Bo with the fondest memories of her childhood with her.

As normal as life could be, Bo attended school as any other young kid, had many friends as any teenager, and many lovers too, as an attractive young woman. Entering adulthood, Bo worked to pay off student loans, rent and groceries as any young professional. Yes, she did pay rent even if her grandfather Trick insisted on her living in the bachelor apartment located in the basement of his townhouse free of rent. He was happy to have Bo still close to him and sharing his residence with her made him feel less lonely. Bo didn't have the heart to leave him and let him live by himself either after his beloved wife left this world.

All those feelings of normalcy, hardly earned and well deserved, seemed to be far gone…once again.

Three days ago, while going through old family pictures with Trick on a quiet raining night, Bo pulled one out of the pile. On that piece of glazed sheet, her dad was seen raising a glass of wine in a restaurant, celebrating his promotion to VP of finance for the company he worked for at the time, Morpheus Capital Management Ltd. She couldn't keep the little smile from forming on her lips as she noticed how tall and handsome her dad was. Next to him sat her mom, she was eight months pregnant and just as beautiful as Bo could remember, giving him a soft and tender smile accompanied with this special gaze filled with pride. This image made Bo so happy inside; seeing her dad enjoying professional success and sharing his happiness with the love of his life. Bo was probably already tucked in bed by her grandmother while her parents celebrated with friends.

''Don't they look happy Grandpa?'' asked Bo dreamily.

''Yes, I remember him being so excited when he phoned us that day to announce the big new" replied the old man with nostalgia. But his face suddenly turned dark. He was still looking at the picture, but a blank stare displayed on his face.

Bo couldn't explain the nature of it or what could have brought her grandpa into this unusual mood. "What's wrong? You look…far away…" asked the grand-daughter concerned.

Trick realized he was indeed lost in his thoughts and something dark made him feel uncomfortable in that moment. However, he knew exactly why. Trick, the seemingly perfect husband and grandfather, had been keeping a big secret from Bo and his wife all those years.

"Grandpa, you don't look ok…and I feel it has something to do with this picture…or with mom and dad…" Bo said in a whisper and instantly felt the old man hesitation. She could even hear his irregular breathing through the rain that had become heavier and heavier, as if it was pressuring the grandfather to say something to the young woman. As if it was listening for a while already, and remembered there was something to unearth that night, right at that moment. It was impatiently waiting to hear what followed next.

Trick knew too well he couldn't get away any longer from this instant. It was really just a matter of time before he'd cracked from guilt for not telling her what he knew. That night, he had to tell her and get it off his chest and over with, so he hoped. Oh boy was he wrong. "Bo, there is something I had been keeping for myself for the last twenty years" he said under Bo's inquisitor gaze. The brief but, needless to say, heavy silent that followed aggressively invited Trick to carry on with his revelation. "Your parents, when they died, it wasn't…" he paused, carefully choosing his words "I believe it wasn't an accident; someone wanted your father dead".

Bo's body and mind went numb in a matter of seconds. It struck her like lightning. Every other single word that followed just resonated in her head. She struggled to process this new and shocking information. There was suddenly a lack of oxygen in the room. Both of them felt it.

Later on that night, Bo couldn't go to bed, didn't want to go to bed. Sitting on the desk chair in the dark room, she stared blankly out through the window. The storm was hammering outside against it. When the thunderstorm woke her from the trance she got lost in and brought her back to reality, it was at that moment that she realized her life would never be the same again.

It were three days already that the woman had been hiding from everyone. She hadn't answered her phone, hadn't read her messages. Bo wanted to be left alone. She needed to be left alone. In her isolation, she couldn't stop thinking of her parents, of the circumstances of their death. What actually happened? It was an unfortunate and sad accident they said. Nothing suspicious was found on the scene. The cause of the accident: faulty breaks. It turned out it may not had been an accident at all. But how would she ever know this?

This run felt like a necessity and she ran like a mad wind. She hadn't slept much and hadn't eaten much either lately, but she was driven by a profound anger and needed to get it out. She had been running for over 45 minutes when she finally stopped for a rest and catch some breath. As she overlooked the vast lake before her, a disturbing thought crossed her mind like a flash. It took her by surprise. It made her frowned. Her eyes moved onto the horizon, as if they were searching for something; a sign, a meaning, an answer. She then stared down to her feet as she reconsidered that thought. Was she really considering this? A long moment of dreadful reflection had passed. When she laid her eyes back onto the horizon, a strange feeling of excitement took over her. That thought rapidly became a need, an urge. Bo Dennis just took the most important and meaningful decision of her life and consequently, the most dangerous one; she will take revenge on the people responsible for the death of her parents, by any means, at any cost.

She had to.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is a very short chapter. I hope you enjoy the story so far. Please review.**

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"What now?" the tiny lady said impatiently, almost chocking on her drink.

Meanwhile, Bo held the door for a familiar client leaving the place as she entered The Garuda, a very popular Irish pub among the locals owned by her grandfather. She scanned the room before finding her friend in her usual seat at the bar. Kenzi waved at her and made a gesture to indicate an empty stool next to her while yelling in her phone. Somebody must have been pissing her off thought Bo, as she approached the girl, seemingly annoyed and angry at someone on the other end of the phone line. The place was busy just like any Thursday afternoon, but Bo was hoping for a quieter Thursday this time.

"You off early today'' Trick noticed while putting a pint of Bo's favorite beer on the counter.

"Thanks. Yeah…I just decided to leave some work for tomorrow'' Bo gave as a reply. The real reason was that Kenzi just got back in town from one of her PR trips for the local magazine and Bo couldn't wait any longer to share with her friend what had been occupying her mind lately. As wicked and sinister as her thoughts could be, she needed to share them with someone, and that someone was not going to be her grandfather, not this time, for obvious reasons.

Kenzi was more than a friend. Bo and Kenzi cared for each other and had taken care of each other ever since the first day they met in grade school. They had bonded instantly. Bo had always been protective of her friend, just like an older sister would be to her younger sibling. Not that Kenzi needed any protection but she just seemed to have a knack for getting into trouble with her big mouth and lack of judgment. Always, Bo was there to prevent major catastrophes, sometimes requiring her to use her persuasive power. Just like that one time Bo had let Kenzi drive her yellow Camaro, the black haired woman had managed to insult a guy, seemingly of a high status, and given death threats to his face after he had parked his Maserati in a space obviously hers, well, she had just decided so. The man had taken it so seriously that he was ready to call the cops on them. That was when Bo got out of the passenger seat and gently pulled Kenzi back while giving the man in blue Ralph Lauren polo shirt the most subtle caresses on his forearm to calm him down. Her charm had immediately worked on him. The indignation expression on his face had disappeared and he was suddenly left spellbound. At that moment, Bo knew she could ask him anything; forget what her friend had done.

There were many more of those incidents when Bo had to use her seductive power to get them out of trouble. On the other hand, Kenzi had always been there when she needed a pep talk. Not unlike her grandfather, Kenzi always had the right words to give her the motivation she needed in the darkest time. Luckily, those moments were rare. The woman had always been self-driven, but even the thoughest ones needed spiritual help at times. The knowledge of their presence beside her gave her the courage and strength for the biggest challenge.

This time however, she can only count on Kenzi, as if she needed her approval.

''Well call me back when you'll make up your mind Sir! Ciaos Ciaos! Kenzi then threw the phone in the purse. "Gosh! People are driving me craaaaazy! The asshole is being repeatedly cuckolded, he sure knows it, but now Mister is not sure if he wants to see the proof of his wife's extramarital affair. He pretty much told me that I wasted my precious time taking those cheating photos! This side PI job does suck sometimes!'' She growled as she took a sip of the vodka water drink. "Whoaaaa, this feels so good after this kind of conversation!" Bo let her friend enjoy her cocktail with some amusement. Kenzi looked up to Bo "How are you BoBo? I've been trying to call you God knows how many times in the past week! All I got was your voicemail. I though the Chinese triad had kidnapped you for taking their artifacts on your last expedition" she dropped as she sipped on her cocktail a little longer "What is so important you couldn't tell me on the phone?''

Bo took a deep breath ''Well…about that, I may need your help and your PI skills for what I'm about to tell you.''

_To be continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you for reading this story. For those who wondered, everybody is human, including Bo. Her "power" is only metaphoric. She just happens to have a genuine power of seduction (may even be deadly...or not!). I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Please review.**

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Flashback

"_I believe it wasn't an accident; someone wanted your father dead" Trick confessed, finally looking into his granddaughter's eyes._

_'You mean…he was murdered? THEY were murdered…?'' she mumbled, her heart pumping a little faster, a little louder. "I don't understand, what really happened? What exactly do you know?" The initial shock made it hard for her to focus on what the old man was about to tell her._

_For Trick, there was no easy way to put it. ''Your father had discovered strange practices and suspicious activities occurring in the company. He said if that would had come to light, it would had incriminated some of the senior executives very badly. He had just been promoted to management VP but the CEO and other executives didn't always keep him in the loop of the firm's financial situation. The week before the...accident, he had called and told me that he was having a bad feeling, that somebody must had knew about his findings. At the office, he said he felt glares from some of the Execs". _

_As the old man talked, Bo's fear was becoming more and more real. Outside, the sky seemed to have exploded; the rain had now turned into a violent storm._

"_One night, he had the feeling he was being followed while walking to his car. Another time, leaving his office building, a car nearly ran over him on the sidewalk. All those incidents occurred days after the discovery. Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe it wasn't". Trick wasn't the type of man who usually let his fear shows, or as a matter of fact, any emotion that would make him vulnerable. He would simply, but hardly, bury it. He needed to be the strong one when his loved ones needed him._

''_The night of the tragedy, your father had called earlier to confide in me. He was afraid. Afraid something would happen to him, to his little family. I told him I loved him like a son and I would never let anyone hurt him, or my daughter, or my grandchildren''__. __With the most despair one can find in somebody's eyes, Trick admitted ''I failed, I couldn't save any of them that night''. And for the first time, the old man allowed himself to feel the excruciating pain that followed his loss that fateful night, and in that cold living room, cried all the tears he had been holding for the past 20 years._

"Oh…Bo…" that was all the younger lady was able to pronounce. She had been carefully listening to this unfortunate series of events her friend's family went through. Kenzi was speechless.

The two women had move to a more discreet corner of the pub to discuss, further from the small crowd of customers that had significantly grew in the past half hour as supper time approached. Bo was briefly lost in her thoughts after talking for so long and reliving that night with Trick. The image of her grandfather, so powerless and so vulnerable, releasing his deep emotional pain that night would be marked in her memory forever from that moment on. She looked up and observed the short septuagenarian man behind the bar, with tenderness, and pity. He was always there for everyone. Always easy to find when he was needed, whether it was for a paternal advice or simply to provide a sympathetic ear. Bo thought she could do something for him this time, something to ease his pain, their common pain. She turned to face Kenzi and looked her in the eye "Kenz, I called you and wanted to meet with you in person right away…because I need you to do something for me" Bo admitted, noticing the startled expression on her friend's face.

"Wh…what can I possibly do for you in circumstances like this?" Kenzi asked, feeling perplexed, as she was trying to digest all the information she just received.

"I'm good at digging dirt for my job, and I would dig and dig until I find what I'm there for. But for the kind of dirt I'm talking about here, you are the best at it" Bo scrutinized her friend, waiting for her reaction, her response.

"Oh, Okayyy…" Kenzi apprehended what she was about to hear next and Bo could see it by the way her interlocutor was staring at her.

As Bo was about to explain what her statement meant, out of the corner of the eye, something drew her attention. At the other end of The Dal, a woman stood by the bar. A silhouette Bo did not recognize. Not that she would know and recognize every single customer at this place, but she came to be pretty familiar with the regular ones. Out of curiosity, she observed this new patron who seemed to be waiting for something. Bo could only see her from the back, and at brief moments from the profile too, but she couldn't help herself from noticing how tall and slender the woman was and the way the loose blond and shiny curls were partly resting on her shoulder and partly falling off onto her back, contrasting with the brown dress shirt that seemed to fit the woman perfectly. Seconds later, Trick appeared from the kitchen in the back and met the woman across the counter to hand her a paper bag. She must have had ordered a meal, a club sandwich. No, she probably ordered something healthier by the shape of her body, a salad. The lady took some money out of her wallet to pay and the two exchanged a couple of words. Trick gave her a big smile as the blonde woman turned to leave. Bo watched her making her way out, not without some difficulties and obstacles as the place was quite packed, but not once had she turned towards Bo's direction so Bo could catch sight of her visage. Even when the silhouette had disappeared through the door way, Bo was still analyzing the female stranger, until Kenzi forced her out of her contemplation and back to business.

''Bo! You were saying…?" Kenzi insisted as she became more troubled by the revelation.

"Oh euhhhh...yeah so...what I'm saying, is that I need your help. I didn't get the chance to look up for much information, but I know Morpheus execs who were there at the time had something to hide. They may even be responsible for my parents' death...which I strongly believe they are. I need you to find who those executives were. I need you to look them up. I want to know everything about them...everything" Bo repeated with such firmness it took her friend aback a little. Of course Bo had been dead serious in the past, but this time, there was something sinister in her eyes.

"Okayyy...Let's say I get all the information you are looking for...what would you do with it?" Kenzi asked honestly worried about what she would get herself into.

"I don't know yet" Bo replied, seemingly unsure of her next move, but certain that it would lead her to something. The truth.

"Alright" the younger lady said after some consideration. Not that Kenzi wouldn't do anything for her best friend, but she wanted to make sure Bo wasn't getting herself in trouble or worst, in danger. But at this point, even if she didn't know much of Bo's intentions, she knew the brunette would stop at nothing to get what she wanted, especially after hearing what she just heard about Bo's family.

"Yeah?!...Yeah?! Great!" Bo's face expressed a big relief and somehow a small surprise. She was happy Kenzi was in with her, as this was no ordinary request. "I will never thank you enough for this" Bo reached to Kenzi's hand, grabbed it and squeezed it in recognition.

Kenzi couldn't help it and returned a gaze Bo knew too well what it meant; the kind only two friends, two sisters would know and understand what it meant.

"Kenz, I gotta go. I got a lot of things to do about…this. Let me know as soon as you get something" Bo said before displaying a shy smile to show and reassure that she would be okay.

Kenzi smiled back before her friend proceeded to leave and shouted out "And Yes! I am the best at it!".

Bo turned around and smiled to confirm it. She stopped by the bar to see Trick. "Grandpa, I gotta go, I'll see you later…Oh, I didn't know you bought a new cellphone…!" Bo pointed to the device in Trick's hand.

"Actually, somebody forgot it here, left it on the counter. I believe it was the tall blonde lady earlier".

Without any hesitation, Bo grabbed the phone from his hand "Let me see, maybe I can figure out who it belongs to and contact the owner".

Trick didn't mind having Bo taking care of this; he was not good with technology.

"Oh, if she comes back for it, give her my number" the granddaughter shouted before disappearing in the crowd.

Once on the sidewalk, Bo looked at the phone still in her hand. She had many things on her mind, and one of these things was about the blonde woman. She slipped the phone in the pocket of her dark blue leather jacket and walked away, with a faint smile on her lips, towards her challenging and perilous future.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I know my chapters are short but I can't afford writing anything longer if I want to deliver and update on a regular basis, with decent content. I'm definitely not at that level yet, maybe one day! I corrected my grammar and syntax on previous chapters. If you are among the readers who tried to guest the story, wrong or right, I hope I can still give you an interesting story. I appreciate all the comments and thank you all for reading. Luv xx**

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Flashlight in hand, Bo pulled on the rope to call the ladder leading to her grandparent's attic down. She couldn't remember the last time she went up there. It must have been when her younger self asked her grandmother to show her what an attic was.

She looked up to the hatch and sighed, unsure of what she would find up there. She scaled the ladder to the top and paused a brief moment, glanced into the dark, letting her eyes adjust, before completely stepping inside the most neglected room in the house. She turned the flashlight on and rubbed her other hand against her pants to remove the dust she had picked up from the ladder. As she looked around and heard the floorboards creaked under her feet at her every move, she now remembered she didn't like the feeling of being here, in this cold windowless room. The low beams, the dankness smell and the unpleasant silence that reigned here would make any place feel depressing. Bo found a light bulb hanging from the ceiling a couple of feet from where she stood and managed to reach over the many miscellaneous objects and to pull on the chain to turn it on. To Bo's surprise, the shimmering light uncovered some majestic antique furniture, old paintings and sculptures covered with cobweb, but nicely stowed along one side of the timber walls. On the other side of the room, the once loved set of dressing table and stool on which many hours of preparation her grandma had spent, was shyly displayed in the middle of stacks of cardboard boxes and storage plastic bins. In this room, every single item still had a sentimental value for her grandfather. He wasn't ready to part with any of them.

For some, this place would have been a giant treasure chest. But for Bo, this felt like a graveyard when her gaze stopped upon "Samuel" marked on one of the boxes neatly stowed in the corner, where the roof sloped down. A two by three cardboard box was what was physically left of her dad. A big gray bin with ''Aife'' written on it was right beside it. Untouched for so long, layers of dust had collected on top. She slowly knelt down and let a soft sigh out before brushing the dust off the gray container. She removed the lid and the first thing she saw was her mom's jewelry box. She picked it up and ran her fingers along the engraved lines of a decorative swan on top of the pine box. She opened it and was surprised by how shiny the jewelry still remained. Again, her fingers gently ran over each one of the necklaces, bracelets and earrings. There was a wrist watch too among the precious gems. It must have been dead for the last two decades. She closed the box and carefully put it back in the bin. Buried under a pile of books, Bo was glad to find her mom's favorite scarf. Her mom loved the color blue and it suited her so well. The daughter brought the soft cloth to her nose and cheeks and with her eyes closed, hopelessly tried to retrieve the scent of her mother. In fact, she could barely remember how her mother smelled, beside the memory of happiness every time she would buried her face in Aife's dress to catch a breeze of her perfume when she came home from work. Bo shook her head and smiled at herself, feeling silly at her own idea and thoughts.

Bo went to grab the lid to put it back on the bin, when she noticed another small plastic bin behind this one. It was a pale blue one, with no label. It looked unimportant. She opened it. What she saw was a little unexpected. She sat there, contemplating the items inside. Very small items. With the tips of her fingers she delicately picked up a pair of baby shoes. Bo took another long look at them. They weren't hers. Her heart sank. She meticulously put the shoes back in the baby blue container and placed it where it belonged; with her mom's belongings. She put the big lid back on and hoped the two bins would never get separated again.

As Bo laboriously carried her dad's heavy cardboard box down the ladder, something rang. A ring she did not recognize, but realized after a few times that it must have been the blonde woman's phone. ''Jesus! This is such a bad timing'' she moaned, trying to catch the last rung of the ladder. Trying not to fall. But in vain, she missed the rung and in matter of seconds she found herself under the now broken box. "God dammit' she let out. She tossed everything she could and tried painfully but doggedly to get back up on her feet as she rubbed her back. She ran across the long corridor to reach the kitchen but the phone stopped ringing before she could get to it. She grabbed the phone from the kitchen island counter top, but the only thing displayed on the screen was "1 missed call". There was no way for her to get into the phone as it had a lock screen security set up on it. She had tried a couple of basic PINs and passwords earlier and nothing had worked. Mildly irritated by the pain the fall had caused to her back and by herself for not reaching to the phone on time, she wished people, especially that woman, would be like her and not bother with locking their smartphone screen.

She returned to her business but brought the phone along with her this time. She made some room at the bottom of the ladder since she decided she would go through her dad's personal effects right here in the middle of the wide corridor. She didn't have the motivation to put all the objects back in the broken box and carry it anywhere else.

Her back still in pain, she carefully sat down and found a semi comfortable position, leaning against the wall across the bedroom that had been her only personal space when she was a teenager before moving into the house's basement after college. Trick hadn't change anything in the bedroom. The furniture wasn't big enough for her anymore so she replaced it and left the old one there, and it was still there. The bedroom itself had since become a guest room, but they had yet to receive any guest.

Bo picked up a notebook from the floor; one of many that had fell out of the box. She started to flip the pages. It appeared to be her father's notes from university. She put it away and picked another one. On the first page of this one, he had listed all the business school he was interested in applying to. She didn't know what exactly she expected to find in these articles spread out on the floor before her. But she wanted a clue. A clue that would lead to something else, something related to the company. But nothing among her father's stuff seemed to have any connection to his job. She took a big yellow envelope, stuck between two books and emptied it on the floor. She found out her parents were quite a romantic couple based on the many love letters. Some of them were written when they were teenagers, others seemingly before they got married. Bo smiled at the lecture of some of the lines, reminding how cute they were. She folded the piece of paper and was about to put the handful of letters back in the big envelope when a postcard fell of from the pack.

"Thanks for the plug buddy. See you next month at Morpheus. Denise says Hi to both of you. Luke". The postcard was sent from Havana, Cuba, on which a street full of colorful classic cars parked in front of a row of Spanish colonial-style buildings, of pastel colors, was the representation of the capital city. Those few words were enough for Bo to pay a particular attention to the card. "Luke…who are you? You may be the one I'm looking for". She examined the postcard, flipping it over, and over when the cellphone rang again.

"Hello" Bo answered quickly.

"_Hi…My name is Lauren, I believe you have my phone. Who am I speaking to?_" the soft voice asked.

"Bo" she replied, happy she finally got to talk to the cellphone owner. "You left your phone at The Dal. I tried to reach one of your contacts but I couldn't unlock the screen".

"_Thank you for holding it for me and trying to return it. Where can I meet up with you?_"

"Oh, no, just tell me where you live, I'll bring it over to you…in person" Bo offered, motivated by her curiosity for the pub's new patron. She could hear a little chuckle on the other end, before the woman answered.

"_Oh no no! I live on the other end of the city. I really don't want to bother you more than I already have. Would that be okay for you if we met at the same place tomorrow? I have to go back to the area anyway"_.

Bo decided that she won't be insisting and accepted.

"_Say…around 7 pm, is that okay with you?_"

"7 pm is perfect, I'll be the brunette waiting for you at the bar" Bo said with a wicked smile.

"_Okay, see you tomorrow…Bye_" and the woman hung up.

"Lauren huh?" Bo stared at the phone and smiled one more time before putting the phone away. She let out a long sigh, looking at the letters, books and notebooks on the floor, and the postcard in her hand, when an alert sound was heard from another phone, her own cellphone this time. It was a text from Kenzi; she needed to see Bo, tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be a big long day.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I took some advice from JCM and other reviewers, thank you. Thanks to all of you for reading and the encouraging reviews. xx**

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Another busy night. No surprise, it was Saturday, the busiest night of the week. Sometimes Friday actually gathered more customers since day workers, professionals and students celebrate the end of the week with colleagues to chat about the ups and downs of their week. The pub was strategically located on a busy corner of the street. All the essential amenities and important office towers were within 10 minutes' walk from the pub, so it was a convenient place for lunch time just as for supper time, and for Happy Hours too.

From the facade, it looked like nothing; _The Dal_ was carved on an old plank in Gaelic style and hung above a heavy wooden door as sole sign indicating there was a pub there. Nobody would had guessed the vibe inside if they had never stepped foot here. Despite its appearance, it was one of the most welcoming place in this area, thanks to the owner for his warmth smile, the staff for always trying to display a joyful attitude and the customers for being generally good and cooperative.

¨Bo, here you are! You arrive right on time. Somehow, we ran out of supply for the kitchen and it will become busier later. I have to go to the shops before they close. James's shift only starts in an hour and Vicky is pretty busy on the floor...so can you hold the fort while I'm gone? It won't be too long¨. Bo knew there was no real option for her. But before she even tried to protest, or pretend to protest, the old man threw a "Thank you darling" in her direction and disappeared. She sighed before taking his place behind the bar.

Bo had arrived an hour early, wanting to talk to Trick before her meeting, but was instead tasked with this. It was indeed going to be a busy night; Kenzi was supposed to be meeting up with her later on and she absolutely needed a little chat with Trick. She removed her leather jacket and threw it at a corner behind her. She grabbed a couple of wine glasses and dried them with an extra clean cloth while wondering how the night would go. She helped Vicky with the filling of beer pitchers, lots of beer pitchers. She was busy. The place kept her so busy she didn't even have the time to think about anything.

After a while, it calmed down for a few minutes and Bo looked at the clock. Half an hour had passed quickly. As it was getting closer to the meeting time, Bo felt some nervousness mixed with some excitement. The type of feeling one would get on a blind date, before actually seeing the date. Not knowing what to expect. She felt silly at the thought; it was just some tall blonde stranger who wanted her phone back, nothing else. But Bo couldn't help it, and was strangely excited to meet with her, finally, after two days spent with the woman's phone in her possession.

After pouring twelve shots of tequila for a table obviously celebrating some big event, she decided to make herself a cocktail. But changed her mind and went for a simple pint of beer. As Bo was filling up her pint at the beer dispenser, she looked up to the entrance and saw a blonde woman walking in. She couldn't see her face very well but recognized the svelte silhouette and the perfect blond hair.

The woman looked around a few seconds before heading for the bar. She reached the closest end of the counter, scanned over the patrons gathered along the bar counter, and finally decided not to venture through the groups of young adults half intoxicated and settled to sit at the only available stool she found. She put her handbag on the counter and glanced at her watch. She looked around one more time, then took an agenda out of her bag and a pen.

_There she is_. Behind her pint, Bo looked at the clock. It was six thirty_. She's early_. She took a big sip of her beer and immediately brought her attention back to the object of her curiosity_._ The woman looked almost exactly like what Bo had imagined, but even more stunning and beautiful.

The blonde hadn't seen her yet, so Bo gazed freely, watching her every movements. The way she hold her pen and brought it to her lips, biting the plunge. The way, with her long and lean fingers, she tossed a strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear. Surprisingly Bo enjoyed this moment very much, when she could spy on the beautiful lady, right in front of her, for almost as long as she wanted. There was something about the woman, she seemed to have the right blend of shy and sweet. But those attributes had never actually been what Bo had sought for in anyone she would be dating or even be interested in. She liked the wild type. The type that can tirelessly satisfy her appetite. This woman did not scream sex. And she wasn't here for that. But it didn't stop Bo from being genuinely curious about this woman.

Bo looked at the clock again. It was ten to seven. She had enough fun observing the woman and believed it was time. She downed the rest of her beer in one go, cleared her throat, took a deep breath after leaving her empty pint behind her and walked up to the blonde. Not once had her gaze left the woman. She leaned over the counter. "Lauren?" Bo inquired, her arms widely spread on the surface in front of the woman, taking a high power pose and reaffirming her presence.

The blonde took a pause from her occupation and finally looked up to meet Bo's gaze. At that moment, time seemed to have stopped. A pair of gorgeous big brown eyes was glaring at Bo, straight into her soul. It awakened something Bo didn't know existed in her. What exactly? She couldn't for the life of her say. Despite her strong character and assertive personality, Bo felt destabilized.

"You are Bo?" Lauren gave as an affirmative response and smiled.

Bo managed to regain control of her mind and her thoughts. "Have you been waiting for a while?" Bo asked innocently.

"No, not at all." Lauren looked around "I didn't know you work here."

"Oh, no. Actually, this place belongs to my grandfather. I happen to give him a helping hand now and then when he gets overloaded with…well, everything."

"I had loved the place last time I came…the only time I came. Food was real good." Lauren glimpsed at the small group of young men next to her. "It's very crowded tonight!" She commented.

Bo nodded in response.

The two exchanged a smile without a word, while the rest of the pub was as vibrant as it could be, with loud laughs and screaming. It lasted longer than it should had; it started to feel awkward.

"Well, I wanted to thank you for safekeeping my phone and for trying to reach out to me."

"Oh, that's right, your phone! I almost forgot." Bo shook her head and laughed at herself. She turned around to get to her jacket and retrieved the device from the pocket.

"Here. Don't worry, I wouldn't have found anything personal even if I tried." Bo joked, feeling silly afterward for how bad her attempt at being funny was. "So…you said you don't live around here. What brought you here last time?"

"Work and…"

"Bobo!" Kenzi had somehow managed to squeeze through the group of men to pop-up next to Lauren. "Fetch me a drink…please. It's urgent…I had a bad day. Again!" the young woman begged.

"Kenz? I didn't expect you here until later, way later." Bo said, hardly trying to hide her disappointment for being interrupted.

"Yeah, well here I am now and you should be happy as we are about to spend more quality time together…drinking!" Kenzi replied with the widest smile on her face.

Laurent looked at her watch, stood up and smiled at the brunette. "Bo, I've got to go. Thanks again for the phone." She proceeded to gather her personal belonging.

"No wait, you're not leaving until I get you a drink, Lauren." Bo exclaimed with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, and in her smile.

"No, I have to go to work and my shift starts in less than an hour. But thank you for the offer. I should be the one buying you a drink. I'll stop by next time." She gave Kenzi a smile as well before turning back to Bo. "Have a lovely night ladies." With her handbag over her shoulder, the blonde turned away to disappear in the crowd before Bo was able to say anything else.

Tight-lipped, Bo was disappointed and mad at herself for not being able to learn more about this Lauren.

"I don't want to interrupt whatever you are reflecting on, but I'm still waiting for my drink."

Bo sighed and went to prepare one of her friend's favorite Russian cocktail. She came back with one impressive cup.

"Whoa, you just know me too well." She took a sip of her Caipirovska. "Miam…so, who was that?" she asked, nodding towards where Lauren had stood.

"A woman who forgot her phone here the other day" Bo said neutrally, pretending to not giving it any importance. She grabbed a cleaning cloth and wiped the counter. "So did you find anything about what we talked last time?"

"I surely did. Well maybe not as much as you would have hoped. But here it is." Kenzi reached into her black leather backpack and pulled out an orange folder. She opened it in front on Bo to reveal printed out sheets, photocopies, and even some photographs.

"As you know, Morpheus Capital Management is an independent investment firm founded about twenty-six years ago, almost as old as you ha!" the young woman smirked at Bo. "It's a privately held company and it belongs to…wait…oh!..here…the Thornwood." Kenzi pointed to a name on a sheet on top of the pile of documents.

Bo took the sheet and proceeded to read some basic information and history of the firm herself. "Anything else we should know about the company?"

"The firm may have grown overly fast some may say, but in appearance there is nothing special about it." Kenzi searched for a photocopy she had made of an article she had found, dated from two decades ago. "…Beside this," She handed the article to Bo. "After five years of operation, it had experienced financial problems and ran into trouble with The Securities and Exchange Commission. It had required more than one audit on Morpheus Capital that year by the SEC. But in the end, they had found nothing wrong with the firm's internal practice. And oddly enough, there were no explanation about how they overcame their financial issues so fast afterwards." The black-haired woman said, sucking in her straw to get the last drip of her drink. "Today, MCM Ltd is one of the biggest asset management firm in the country." Pointing to a silver haired man in dark grey suit posing for Smart Investment magazine, "And this dude here, Jack Hades Thornwood is the President and CEO, also the richest ass in the city. He earned the nickname The King of Portfolios."

Bo studied the man on the magazine cover. "I can tell his smile hides something. I don't trust this King of Portfolios". As she flipped the pages, she learned The King had other family members working at Morpheus Capital. His bother Lachlan was described as The King's right-hand in the Senior VP role. His two sons, Dyson and Rainer, are also part of the firm's team as portfolio managers and partners. A rich family, all of its members working in financial industry; for Bo, it had all the checks in the box for corruption and bribery scandals. But she wouldn't assume it yet. Most importantly, there was something about this Jack Hades Thornwood she didn't like, a feeling in her guts.

She now knew he had been at the firm long enough to have known her father. He would probably recall the accident and the incidents involving her father. All of a sudden, it dawned on her that the CEO of Morpheus Capital Management Ltd might even had been involved in her father's death, her parents' death. If being followed to his car and being almost ran over on the sidewalk weren't figments of her dad's imagination, then The King would be her first suspect.

"Bo, thanks for holding down the fort for me." Trick had come back from his errands and went to the back store with all the shopping bags dangling from his hands.

"You did a great job Kenz. Thank you" Bo put all the documents, papers and magazine back into the orange folder and hid it under her jacket behind her.

"Bo, we are friends right? We are Besties as in Best Friends right?" Kenzi waited for Bo to acknowledge. "You would never keep anything from me, would you? Like…if you decide to do anything stupid, you'll let me know first? So I can at least try to dissuade you." the young woman asked with some legit concerns.

"I wouldn't be able to keep anything from you and you know that." Bo reassured, tilting her head and showing a comforting smile at her friend.

Bo got a lead now. But she needed more. She had to find a way to learn more on Morpheus, and the Thornwood. The talk with Trick could wait. She needed to make plans right away in order to get to the bottom of this and that was exactly what Bo and her bestie, Kenzi, did the rest of the night.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I know the story may not be progressing fast enough, but I'll hopefully compensate in the next chapter. Thank you for reading and I appreciate all reviews.**

**XXXXX**

"Your buttocks are just as sexy as I remember." A man whispered in Bo's ears from behind her.

"Ryan Lambert!" Bo turned to face him with a smile. "And you haven't changed at all either, just as charming."

Bo dated the man during her university years. Well, they were seeing each other to satisfy their different needs. Ryan was a playboy, a charmer, and never pretended to be anything else. However, that was exactly what Bo needed; a companion with whom she could exchange pleasure, intimacy, fun and well, "energy". That was why Ryan had been the perfect mate: he was easy going, funny and had a strong life force. All the vibrational energies Bo could take from her partners, she would take them. It was, so to speak, vital to her mind and to her body.

Bo had once read a book on Chinese history and culture for her degree. She learned that ancient Chinese had an interesting concept of "life force" where the flow of energy around and through the body, when well balanced, created health and harmony in the human being. That energy was referred to as "chi". In traditional Chinese medicine, chi was thought to be the life force and ultimate measure of one's vitality. So Bo had decided she would abide by that philosophy and implemented a life style that would promote movement in her body. She nourished herself from life force of others in order to give it back under another form. Yes, Bo was a giver too, in many aspects of her life.

That being said, she had tried all kind of meditation suggested such as Tai Chi to help promote the said movement, but it didn't work out for her. She had her own way of doing it, and it consist of a lot of action, to say the least.

Their relationship had last a year, until Ryan became a little too obsessed with her. That was also when Bo realized she had hard time being monogamous as she found out she could get different kind of energy from different people.

"I cannot tell you enough how surprised I was to have got that email from you last weekend. It just had been so long…" Ryan said with the biggest smile. He moved next and close to her. The man leaned on the patio guardrail but kept his gaze on her, scanning her from head to toe, admiring her beauty. Her golf outfit, which was a pink polo shirt and a white skirt, gave her a different kind of sexiness.

"Indeed, it's been a long time...10 years or so?"

"I'd say so."

"How have you been Ryan since I saw you last?" Bo asked without giving any interest at all in the answer she would receive.

"Life has been great to me. Loving my engineer job and all at Plasma Innovations. Beside, everything is awesome and I can't complaint about my personal life either. And you? How's life been treating you my dear? Career, love life? You must have broken many hearts." Ryan joked.

"Probably, but I haven't been keeping count."

"Oh, definitely the Bo I remember!" He looked at her wrist. "I guess even if you are not wearing it today, you kept the bracelet I gave you in your nightstand drawer…and you take it out every now and then when you missed me."

"Yes, I still have it." Bo turned to face the beautiful golf course displayed in front of her "Ryan, I contacted you because…well, because I need a favor from you."

"Bo, you don't need to feel bad. I'm surprise it took you so long. I'm just one call away. Or one text away and I'd be at your place or anywhere you want me to be in no time to give you the best night of your life!" Ryan laughed proudly.

"Hey c'mon Ryan, can you be serious sometimes?" Bo said a little impatiently.

"I am!" He flashed his biggest smile.

"No, I need you to give me some golf lessons."

Ryan frowned. "You already know how to play golf. I showed you how ten years ago! Beside, you even have the attire to play."

"Yes but I want you to teach me to play like a pro. I have less than two weeks to get there."

"What is that all about? And what do I get from this?" He displayed his teasing smile to her.

"Don't worry, I'll think of something. There's a Charity Golf Tournament in two weeks I need to attend and participate."

"If it's a charity event, you don't need to be Tiger Woods to play you know that right?" Ryan did not hesitate to rib her.

Bo had learned a few days ago through some local business journal that the Thornwood brothers would be partaking in a golf tournament. She had decided she would be too. She thought it would be a unique opportunity for her to meet them, without being suspicious. She could then establish a contact with them and get a closer look at the Thornwood's lives, hopefully, from within. She already had a plan in her mind. She was now taking action on it.

"Ryan! So are you gonna help me or not?"

"Of course I am, but don't you think we should be starting the day with a drink to celebrate this occasion…our reunion?"

"We'll have that drink later, I promise."

Cardinal Valley Club was the most prestigious Golf Course in the city and hosted many Championships with elite international golfers who teed it up there with vision of the Great Tee Cup. But, the natural beauty of Cardinal Valley is the main reason for golfers to come. The amazing design featured a variety of holes suitable for all levels of play and great for tournaments. Cardinal Valley had it all, but the reason Bo chose that specific Golf Course was that the charity tournament would be taking place there.

As Bo was about to hit the driver off the tee, Ryan stopped her and came behind her "Wait, this is how you properly hold a stick." He pressed against her and put his hands over Bo's.

"Ryan, I don't need you to show me how to hold this!" She knew he was just trying to get close to her and feel her body.

He laughed "I'm kidding, I know you're a strong athlete experienced with stick and balls!" clearing his throat "I mean, stick and ball _sports_!" He laughed again, this time louder. He found himself very funny.

Indeed, Bo played tennis at some point and she was good, but stopped after college when she had started to work at two part time jobs.

They practiced and played for two hours. Ryan was giving Bo some real tips for a more aggressive swing, showing her the proper posture to take, explaining when to chip and when to pitch. He made her practice the short shots and the greenside bunker shots as well. He gave her all the ins and outs of the sport.

"Ryan, I have to say, you are a great teacher!" Bo admitted, her club resting on her shoulder.

"I'm a dedicated mentor. I think you did great today and I'm confident you'll play ten times better if you keep practicing, say another three or four times in the upcoming week. Now, let's go to the 19th hole, shall we?"

"I thought golf courses only have 18 holes."

"Oh, I didn't tell you. The 19th hole is as much part of golf as the previous 18; it's the golf bar." Ryan showed his arm and invited Bo to wrap hers around.

As they walked toward the golf clubhouse, they heard someone yelling "Fore!" and before Bo had time to wonder what it was, a golf ball hit her hard on the forehead, knocking her down backward.

The next thing she knew, Ryan was on top of her calling her name.

"Bo, thank God! You came around!"

"Is she alright?" a man standing next to Ryan asked, worried.

"Do you know who I am? Do you recognize me?...Do you know your name?"

Bo had opened her eyes but she was not aware of her surroundings so much. "Ryan...what happened? She asked, finally placing him.

"That's another thing I forgot to tell you. "Fore" means Look Out there's a ball coming your way!"

"Nice" Bo tried to get up but her head was hurting so much she could barely move it. "I think I hit my head real bad."

"That's it, I'm taking you to the hospital."

"I don't think it's necessary. Just give a minute, and I'll be fine." Bo tried to convince herself.

"Nope, I don't want you to die in your sleep tonight and feel guilty afterward because you had a concussion and I didn't do anything about it when I know I could have had.

Upon Ryan's insistence, Bo had no choice but to let him take care of the situation.

**xxxxx**

It had been 6 hours. The emergency room was crowded with mostly elderly people and young children. Some of them, just like her, weren't suffering from anything apparent. Bo was assessed as a Priority Level 4 by the triage nurse at her arrival at the ED. Ryan had been very patient and caring for her. He made sure she was comfortable, she had water and food in the waiting area.

Although Ryan had implored her to be patient, Bo was tired of waiting; she had been for the last 6 hours. She had been monitored and reassessed twice already, and her condition was still not life threatening nor urgent. It hadn't change, she was still at the bottom of their worries. They did give her an ice pack to apply on the bump on her forehead. "Ryan, let's go, we probably won't see any doc until tomorrow morning. Besides, even my headache is done waiting and is gone now."

"Bo, we can't just leave like that after waiting for 6 hours. We should at least inform the staff at the reception."

Bo grabbed her belongings and was about to leave the waiting area when she heard her name through the speakers. "Isabeau Dennis, room 3."

"See? It was worth the wait."

Bo rolled her eyes and proceeded to room 3. Ryan followed behind her. A nurse was waiting for her in the room and invited her to sit on the examination table.

"It won't be too long, the doctor will be here to see you soon." The nurse said before disappearing in the hallway to take care of other emergencies.

Bo had never liked hospitals. No one liked hospitals but Bo had always avoided them. She would rather be dead sick in her bed than seeing a doctor. It made her feel vulnerable to sit and wait on their exam table. She couldn't really explain, but it's the feeling that you are giving the physician control over you and your body that she didn't like.

"We'll be out of here soon honey." Ryan assured as he sat on the chair across the exam table. "I definitely didn't expect to spend as much time with you today!" He laughed and gave Bo a wink. The phone is his pocket vibrated, he took it and looked at the screen. "Bo, I'm gonna step outside for a minute, I really need to take this call."

Bo acknowledged with a nod then went back to her thoughts, thinking how much she hated hospitals and clinic's offices. The bump on her forehead was still a little painful but she tried to focus on something else to forget about the pain.

As Ryan stepped out of the room, somebody entered. "Miss Dennis?" the doctor asked, reading the name from the medical records.

Bo turned towards the door that was closing behind the doctor. It was then that a pair of beautiful brown eyes rose from the clipboard and met with hers.

"I'm Dr. Lewis." The doctor introduced herself.

"Lauren?" asked the patient, pleasantly surprised at the image displaying before her.

"Bo?"

"You remember my name?...Dr. Lewis."

"Of course" The doctor smiled shyly as she approached the table. "Also, I have a good memory in general, it's essential for my work." She put the clipboard down on the desk next to Bo and looked closely at the bump. "I understand that you had a blow to your head and lost consciousness for a short period of time. May I ask how?" The doctor asked while she shone a penlight into Bo's eyes.

"Golfing."

The blonde couldn't restrain from smiling. "That surprises me. From what I know, golf is not a contact sport and risks of head injuries are low to non-existent. Now follow the penlight without moving your head." She instructed.

Bo obeyed. "Well, an angry golf ball aimed for my forehead and did not miss it. The impact knocked me down and the back of my head hit the ground real hard. That was when I briefly lost consciousness…apparently."

"I see. Now clench your teeth." The doctor palpated her patient's masseter muscles.

The fingers on Bo's skins suddenly increased all of her five senses. The touch felt incredibly electric and Bo could barely contain a moan when the spark sent shivers down her spine. It caused her to hold her breath for a fraction of a second, but in the process, she caught a whiff of lavender from the doctor's beautiful and shiny blond hair. The pleasant odor had a relaxing effect on her. Bo discretely inhaled more of the scent.

"I will now assess your sensory skills."

"Oh you don't need to. I can assure you all my senses are functioning just fine." Bo smiled, looking directly into Lauren's eyes.

The heat has gone up in the room. Both of them felt it. There was a long moment of hesitation, but Lauren finally found the necessary strength and will to draw her gaze away from the deep dark eyes staring at her. The doctor moved away to the desk and cleared her throat "The basic neurological tests didn't show any alarming signs of concussion. But just to be safe, I will order a CT scan and…"

"Oh no! Doctor, I appreciate your concern but I've already spent too much time here at the hospital. I really need to go home and get some rest."

"But it's my job to make sure you are not in danger or that you don't aggravate your condition if you do have one."

"Really, I'll be fine Doc."

"I can't keep you here against your will…Miss Dennis" Lauren paused, trying to find the right words to say "I hope I won't see you again…I mean…back here, in the ER…for this." For a brief moment, Lauren had felt unprofessional and had lost a great level of confidence.

"I hope not too…" Bo wanted to add something else, but Lauren turned away to write notes on her file again.

"For the bump and if you experience mild headaches, painkillers will do. Have plenty of rest and avoid stressful situations. Also, ask your boyfriend to keep an eye on you for the next 48 hours and…"

"Boyfriend?" Bo interrupted, a little surprised.

Lauren turned to Bo "Yes, I ran into your boyfriend in the hallway earlier, he was leaving this room."

Bo laughed. "Ryan is not my boyfriend!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to presume that…Well then, ask Ryan, or someone else to keep an eye on you, look for possible signs and symptoms."

Bo jumped off the exam table and put her jacket on. "Well, YOU can keep an eye on me Dr. Lewis. You know where to find me." She said flirtatiously. She walked to the door and opened it. On her way out, she turned to the doctor and smiled. "I'll see you soon" she whispered. The brunette exited the room, leaving a certain Dr. Lewis astounded.

Lauren stood there, trying to process what just happened in that room. Nothing about this Bo Dennis could leave anybody indifferent.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Chapter not as long as I wished, but I hope I managed to make the story progress a bit until the next chapter (which should be a bigger one and an important one). Please review. Thank you xx**

**XXXXX**

"Holy Moly! What happened to you?...to your head? It's as big as a golf ball!" Kenzi asked as Bo crossed the doorway of the messy apartment.

She walked pass Kenzi and went straight to the girl's couch, dropping herself sloppily on the furniture "I had a little accident yesterday and spent the day at the ER...Ugh..."

"Accident? What accident? Are you ok?" Kenzi came to sit next to Bo. "You were telling me you were meeting up with one of your ex yesterday, was it him who did this to you?" her friend asked pointing at Bo's face.

"Ha! No, it wasn't him. Funny enough, it was actually a golf ball. And I'm fine don't worry. Last night I stayed with him, Ryan. He insisted to keep an eye on me in case I had a concussion or something like that."

"Ohhhhhh...you had a sleepover at his place? Kenzi inquired, curious. "And you...didn't...you didn't…"

"I didn't what?"

Kenzi frowned with a wicked smile. She knew Bo too well; she had always compared her friend to a succubus, the mythical creature. It had never been in a bad way though, it was just that her friend was such a one of a kind sexual beast. It amazed Kenzi in a way but she sometimes felt bad for the victims who'd fall in love with Bo.

"Oh...no...no! Well it could have totally turned that way but it didn't. I was pretty tired and felt asleep as soon as we got there."

"Whaaaaat? Bo! How did you do it? You must have really been half dead to pass on that. If I remember correctly, you told me Ryan was pretty attractive, smart and fun!"

Bo shrugged her shoulders and responded "Maybe he was disappointed, but it didn't happen. I let him spoon me in the morning though"

"Awww…How sweet BoBo!"

"Anyway, we talked enough about me, I'm here for you."

"Shouldn't you be taking it easy then, instead of driving me around to visit apartments today?"

"Yeah, that's what the doc told me too, but you know me, I can't just sit at home and do nothing for hours. I need to move and be active, otherwise I'll go crazy. Beside, we had already planned this a while ago. Also, I want to have a say on the apartment you'll be choosing, because I'm going to be spending a lot of time there as well."

"Yeah that's right! Happy to hear you care. I can't wait to move out of this place. Vex is the worst roommate ever. He's a real night owl and it just happens so that he throws parties in the apartment 5 nights a week, that is, after his shifts at the night club. I cannot sleep…evaaah!" She sighed heavily. "I should've known better Urghhh!"

Bo stood up "Let's get going then!"

"You driving?"

"Ummm…yeah!?"

"You supposed to be driving?"

"Nope"

By noon, they had visited 3 apartments, but the places were either too small, too far from downtown or the rent too high. However, Bo and Kenzi had decided to visit one more before calling it a day and that was the one Kenzi settled on.

It was a beat-up building in a very sketchy area, at the edge of town and was once, according to the new landlord, home to some drug dealers where illegal activities took place. Kenzi already had a name for the place and called it the Crack Shack. Saying the building needed some TLC would be an understatement but she was willing to pimp it up and bring some life to the many rooms in the house. She was actually ready to give it some tender loving care. The rent was still a little more than what she could afford, but she really wanted it. That meant she would necessarily have to find a roommate as soon as possible. She was determined.

Bo concurred with her friend's decision and was especially happy Kenzi found a new apartment. It had been an exciting but nonetheless long day.

**xxxxx**

Back to the Dal, Bo waited for her evening shift to start. Trick had a shortage of personnel again and Bo offered to fill in. That was the main benefit she got from the firm she was working for; she was given the opportunity to make her own schedule. Sitting on the stool with a glass of water, she contemplated her grandfather taking care of customers. It suddenly came to her that she wanted to ask Trick about something she had found earlier this week.

"Grandpa?"

"Yes my darling." Trick looked happy as always, even more so when he sees his granddaughter.

They didn't get to spend much time together anymore, but Trick appreciated and cherished every moment he could get with Bo. Managing the pub hadn't left him any free time since he lost the love of his life and business partner. And Bo was busy being Bo and navigating through life in this wild world. Finding quality time together was near impossible.

"Who's Luke?"

"Luke who?" He asked innocently.

"I found a postcard in dad's stuff, sent from Cuba…by some Luke."

Trick's mood changed once again. Bo had seen that mood not long ago and she knew at that moment more details were about to be revealed. She was ready for anything this time.

Trick put the last clean glasses away on the shelves and came back to Bo.

"Luke Bennett was your father's best friend. They knew each other from business school and both worked at Morpheus. There was a time when Luke often came to visit your parents and would come by our house and say hi to Isabella and me. Sometimes even spending an hour with us; we would have coffee or tea and chat. He was close to the family. But strangely, at your parents' funeral Luke didn't show up. He had never came by the house again either." Trick paused. He turned and looked at a drawer behind him. He hesitated for a moment, then opened the drawer and pulled out an envelope. "Eight years ago, he came here and left a note for me. I didn't meet with him that night, the bartender handed me this."

Bo took the envelope from her grandfather and read the note.

"_I am sorry for everything. __I hope you can forgive me one day. __Luke"_

"Forgive him for what?"

"At the time, I thought maybe he felt guilty for not coming to the funeral. Maybe he felt sorry for completely disappearing from his best friend's family's life. But deep down, a part of me didn't want to know, if there was any other reason. I've tried so hard to have closure on this. I didn't want to relive the pain."

Despite the noise in the pub, Bo could hear Trick breathing heavily. She was lost in her own thoughts, but more questions came to her mind.

When Bo got home, she started searching for Luke Bennett online. It didn't take long for her to find the person. There was one who had worked for Morpheus Capital Management and who now a real estate broker in Havana, Cuba. It was no doubt the right Luke. She found the broker website. She scrolled up and down the company's Home page before finally clicking on the Contact page. Bo didn't even think twice before she started typing the message.

"_Mr. Bennett,_

_My name is Bo Dennis. I believe you knew my father Samuel. I am seeking some answers. You might be the only one who can give me information concerning the circumstances surrounding a tragic event that occurred 22 years ago._

_Please, get back to me_."

She read the text again and, after a moment of hesitation, clicked on the Send button. Now she could only cross her fingers and hope that Luke would write back. She needed him to.

_Luke, wherever you are, whatever you do, whatever happened, I need to talk to you._

Bo leaned back in her desk chair, making a squeaky sound that crossed the dark room. She stared at her laptop screen for a long moment. Many things ran through her mind. Again, what she just did, she wasn't going to tell Trick about it, or any of her future actions. Not just yet anyway. She didn't want to worry her grandfather unnecessarily. An idea suddenly came to her. She reached for her cellphone and texted Kenzi.

"_Hey! Have you found a roommate yet? I guess not. Well I hope not. I'll be your roommate if you don't mind…Also, let's not call it the Crack Shack_!"

**xxxxx**

It was almost 2 in the morning. Lauren was in bed but couldn't fall asleep. She usually had no problem with sleep with her long days or long nights at the hospital. She just did a 12 hours shift again and got off at midnight. It had been a normal shift however. Only one patient was brought in by ambulance but it wasn't a life threatening case thankfully. The unfortunate lad had a very bad food poisoning to a point he was glued to the toilet bowl and couldn't even move so his wife called the ambulance to make sure he would survive the night.

Lauren decided to get up and make herself a caffeine-free tea. Her apartment seemed to be nothing less than a creation from Elle Décor magazine. Lauren always kept everything neat and tidy in her apartment or in her office; she was that kind of person. Every item had its own functionality, therefore was always where it's supposed to be, always.

After preparing her cup, she replaced the tea bags container in the cabinet and wiped the single drop of hot water that had fallen on the marble countertop.

With her cup in hand Lauren grabbed a science magazine from her bookshelf on her way to the living room. She settled on her white leather couch and meant to start reading an article from the magazine, but couldn't focus on it.

Lauren had a lot of things on her mind. But that was just normal. Whether it was about work or her personal life in general, there was always a thought, a question or an idea that occupied her mind. Lauren was naturally a curious person, always searching for answers and explanations. But that wasn't even enough; she continuously looked for new challenges as well. It was one of the reasons she became a doctor. The other reason, she didn't like to talk about it so much.

This time it was something very different. Something that hadn't happened to her in a very long time; she was thinking of somebody, in a way she shouldn't be thinking.

The first time it had already left a strange impression on her. Lauren wasn't sure how to describe it or what to think about it. The second time, it was a confirmation that Isabeau Dennis was not just a patient, nor an encounter for that matter. There was something about that woman that made her feel uncomfortable. But she was also curious about her at the same time.

The way the woman looked at Lauren with her dark eyes, the way she smiled. There was something dangerously powerful about that look and that smile. That Bo Dennis was somehow intimidating. Lauren had never felt intimidated before for as long as she can remember. She wondered if that woman had that same effect on other people, or was it just on her. She might not know the answer anytime soon, but one thing for sure, she was now left with a feeling she could not chase away and a face and name she could not forget.

"Isabeau Dennis'' Lauren whispered to herself, sipping on her tea.

With that woman on her mind now, Lauren knew she would not be able to sleep for the remaining hours of the night.

_Bo Dennis…_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is a longer chapter. I hope it lives up to your expectations. I want to say Welcome to the new readers and to all of you for giving some of your time to read my story. I apologize for any mistake and error you might find.**

**Lost Girl and Doccubus are my inspirations, but your comments and reviews are my motivations. So please comment/review.**

**Thank you. ****Sending you Love and Kisses xx**

**XXXXX**

"Hey careful there! This may not seem valuable to you but it is to me!" Kenzi shouted at Vex, pointing to the colorful Russian library lamp she got from her paternal grandmother.

"Oh calm down! I won't break any of your stuff. Where do you want it?"

"Just leave it in my room…carefully please…and watch your steps!" Kenzi ordered and begged at the same time.

"Kenzi, Vex, I will need a hand, or two, or more to bring up the rest of my bed. I already brought in the largest pieces." Bo struggled at the doorway with some more pieces.

Bo and Kenzi were all happy to be finally moving in together but that feeling was not shared by everyone, such as Trick and Vex. They were sad about this decision. However, the girls were convinced this was the best thing to do.

Kenzi knew Vex would find a new roommate in no time, even if he begged her to stay. For Bo, it was a necessary thing to do, if she wanted to be able to do her research, her digging and make plan without having to dissimulate and hide everything right under her grandfather's nose. As much as it saddened her to leave him alone in the big townhouse house, she consoled him, and herself, by promising to pay him regular visits and give as much time behind the bar at the Dal as she can.

"Ladies, is that all? Because I think my body is done for the day. I will probably need some Swedish massage session after this."

"Yeah that is all. Thank you so much Vex for the help. And thanks to your other friends who came to help us earlier this week. We really appreciate it." Bo tapped on Vex shoulder as she tried to squeeze in between Kenzi and him on the couch.

"Yeah...thanks buddy." Kenzi reached over Bo to tap on Vex shoulder as well.

"This place could actually look awesome with some work done to it. If you ever need another roommate, I'd be in!"

"Oh noooooooo…nope, we're good…for now. But thanks for the offer man!" The younger woman quickly replied.

Bo chuckled and smiled at Kenzi, knowing exactly what her friend must be thinking.

"I hate the fact that I need to buy a new couch for my apartment to replace this one." Vex groaned as he sank even more into the couch, making himself comfortable.

The three friends sat there in silence, staring at a black screen TV, each one of them lost in their own thoughts.

**xxxxx**

Today was Lauren's second day off. She had plenty of time to recover from her long shifts yesterday but nevertheless, this morning she went to the hospital to read some of the patients' reports she wrote during her last shift. There were some cases she wanted to study. Yes, Dr. Lewis was a workaholic, there was no denial.

She had spent the whole forenoon in the office. When she finally decided it was time to go, mainly because her stomach was getting impatient, it was then that she felt the need to quickly searched for a specific file; she couldn't help herself from taking a look at Bo's. Not that there was anything to learn from that medical record, but just to see the special name written on the papers.

It's been days that Lauren had been debating on swinging by the Dal or not. She had secretly wished to see her brunette patient again, but she didn't want to see her back to the hospital. She wouldn't wish anything bad to any of her patient, or anybody for that matter, to come to the emergency room for any reason. So it was going to be today…or never, she concluded.

The doctor parked her small Lexus at the corner of the street, meters from the Dal. At this hour of the day, the district area was still busy. She thought she would simply have lunch and hopefully, see Bo there. Lauren found herself feeling a little nervous as she entered the pub. She looked around; the other woman was nowhere in sight. Ironically, Lauren felt relieved she didn't see Bo right away. She aimed for the bar and was greeted by the old man. He smiled at her as he approached.

"Hi dear, what can I get you today?"

"I'll get the special meal, the club sandwich meal…with the salad, and soda please." She pointed to the menu board behind Trick.

"Good choice, I'll be back." Trick smiled again. He came back with the soda a moment later.

"Thank you." Lauren hesitated a little, but just before Trick turned away she inquired "May I ask you something?"

"Yes, if I have the answer I would gladly tell you."

"Last time I was here, there was a tall woman with dark hair working behind this bar, does she still work here?...Her name is Bo, Bo Dennis"

Trick's expression went from warm and happy to worried "Did she not give you a good service? I'm sorry, she's usually very good with patrons here…"

"No no, I just…I just wanted to see her…"

Trick's expression changed again. This time he gave Lauren quite of a look and with some sort of teasing smile in his eyes, said "My granddaughter has great taste…and you do to!"

Lauren couldn't help herself and blushed instantly. She tried to find something to say to contest what the old man just claimed but nothing came out of her mouth. Nothing.

In front of the stunned woman, Trick realized he shouldn't have said that. He cleared his throat "Ummm…Sorry, it was none of my business. Well, Bo won't be coming in today; she's busy with her move." He felt as silly as the woman right now.

Lauren's meal arrived and she thanked Trick with a shy and embarrassed smile. She decided she would eat that huge sandwich as quick as possible, disappear, and never come back here again, maybe.

With her sandwich and salad ingested, and her bill paid, Lauren was about to grab her vest and get up when the door opened for the twenty-seventh time.

"Bo what are you doing here?" The pub owner shouted.

The name caught Lauren attention and she turned, to see the beautiful granddaughter walking toward her.

"I'm here to…Dr…Lewis?" Bo frowned at the sight of Lauren. She did not expect to see her doctor this soon, even if it had been almost two weeks. Even if she was the one who told the Doc to come see her and check on her at the pub herself. Even if she had very much wanted to see Dr. Lauren Lewis and had been waiting for this moment for weeks.

"What a surprise! What brought you here this time?" Nevertheless, Bo was more than pleasantly surprised and needless to say, happy to get this new opportunity.

"You…I mean I came in the hope of seeing you…I mean, see if you were okay since the incident, accident, Miss Dennis. I meant to come earlier, last week, but couldn't find a proper time for it." Lauren hated herself; she felt she was blushing again. She didn't understand why this woman had such effect on her, it was disturbing. She made an effort to regain her normal composure before she carried on. "I could be wrong, but you are not the type of person who would admit you need a doctor even if you know you do."

"You are…not…wrong…Doctor." Bo responded, leaning on her elbow on the counter, closer toward Lauren. "Would it reassure you if I told you, now that you are my favorite Doctor, if I really need to see one, I'd come see you?" They both were inches away from each other, staring into each other eyes. One was doing it naturally and intentionally, the other one, unconsciously but with no less intensity. Small smile was forming on their lips.

Seeing the _special _tension happening before him, Trick tried to slip away discreetly and leave them with their _thing_. "I'm gonna check on the food…in the kitchen."

Trick's voice brought Bo back down to earth. As all good things must come to an end, she remembered she actually came here for something else than Dr. Lewis and, laboriously and regretfully, broke eye contact with Lauren. "Gramps, I'm here to pick up the boxes, with all the items from the kitchen you said the Dal didn't need anymore." Bo then glimpsed back at Lauren and saw her looking down, trying to hide her bemusement. But Bo already saw a hint of a smile on the woman's lips.

"Oh that's right, I almost forgot." Trick went to the back, reappeared with two big carton boxes and put them down next to Bo. "Will you be okay with these?"

"Actually, I didn't have to go to work today so I let Kenzi take my car to move the last couple of stuff from her old place. She's the one who dropped me off at the mall across the street earlier. I was gonna ask Jimmy if he'd mind giving me a ride after he's done."

Lauren jumped in the conversation right away to offer some help "I can give you a ride, if you need one." Both women looked at the boxes, then at each other trying to hold back laughter.

"I won't be refusing."

After thanking Trick, Bo and Lauren left with the boxes. When the Lexus got onto the parkway, the building in which Bo had been brought to almost two weeks ago stood tall at the other end of the road, casting a shadow on them for a brief moment. _That was where she was going, to the hospital to start her shift, when she left the pub the night she came for the phone_. It was just something Bo was wandering at the time when the woman left in a rush that night. She got the answer a couple of days later. It also made her realize Lauren's working place was so close to the pub. So how come she had never ran into her before. How come the Doctor had never came to the pub before for lunch, or supper, or a beer or a coffee? They were just silly questions that popped up in her mind. Bo turned to her driver. "Do you have this kind of follow ups with all of your patients?"

The question astounded Lauren. Why did this woman always seem to have a way to make her feel uncomfortable? Lauren did not ask for any of this. Or maybe she did, unconsciously. It almost made her want to regret her decision to come to the pub today, or offer the ride. But she knew she didn't. She felt Bo's eyes on her and couldn't even turn to respond. "No", she wanted to find something else to add, but failed miserably.

Bo could make small talk or learn more on Dr. Lewis, but she found herself enjoying the view, observing the doctor, timid and abashed, trying to focus on driving. She knew the doctor was avoiding her gaze. She found some satisfaction in the woman's reaction.

"Here it is."

"This is where you live?" Lauren asked, looking all around a little concerned; the neighborhood did not feel safe.

"Yep, this is where I live now, with my friend Kenzi. You met her the other night."

Lauren parked the car in front the old building and helped Bo with the boxes. As they walked into the house, Lauren noticed how different everything was from her condo. Despite the cold and dark look from the outside, she felt the warmth of the place once they stepped foot in the living room. Even the old walls and old furniture garnishing the room were inviting guests to enter.

After she dropped her box in the kitchen, Bo came to help Lauren get rid of the one in her arms.

"Thank you very much for the help Dr. Lewis."

The doctor chuckled, "You can call me Lauren…just like the first time…" she said displaying a sincere smile.

"Well, thank you Lauren." Bo returned the smile with a more genuine one.

They stood there in the middle of the living room, staring at each other, still smiling.

Lauren couldn't help but think that Bo Dennis was a woman full of surprises and that, since the very beginning. Everything she had imagined about the brunette, when she tried, didn't do justice to the woman. Everything: the effect of her smile, of her eyes, her self-confidence, even her life-style. Everything about this woman amazed her.

"Can I offer you something to drink?" Bo asked to be nice, but also to keep Lauren in her apartment a little longer.

"Oh, no, thanks. I should get going. I have some work to finish at home before returning to work tomorrow." She paused and glimpsed at Bo just long enough to see the disappointment on her face. Lauren walked toward the door but turned around seconds later "I'm glad I checked on you today and know that you've been doing well…Bye"

"I'll see you around then." Bo bit her lips. Despite her usual sexual drive, her constant hunger, Bo had not been on the hunt lately. Was it because of this woman? In fact, she had not been excited or intrigued by anyone since she met Lauren Lewis. Bo may never admit it, but she may have saved herself, her thoughts and her desire for this particular woman the last two weeks. But when Bo Dennis wanted something…or someone, she doesn't usually wait that long. "Oh Hell!" The succubus in her grabbed the doctor by the hand before she reached the door and pulled her close. Bo cupped Lauren's face in her hands and kissed her softly, for what felt like an entire minute. She broke off the kiss only to gasp for some air. "I think I had wanted to do this the very first moment I saw you." Bo whispered, looking into Lauren's eyes.

Startled and speechless, Lauren felt her heart pumping hard in her chest, as if it wanted to scream. The look in her eyes suddenly changed to reflect Bo's desire. Without a word, in an unforeseen gesture, Lauren pulled the woman against her. One hand found its way around the brunette's neck and into her hair, the other hand pressing Bo's lower back against her hips even more. She looked into Bo's eye, which seemed to have turned blue from the reflection of the entrance light, one more time as if she was seeking for an approval, before locking her lips with Bo's.

Now holding each other's face, their mouths and lips fought for more kisses. Between the two, they didn't know anymore who was leading who but their bodies made their way back to the living room. The back of Bo's knee struck the couch which caused her to loose balance and fell. But in her fall, she pulled Lauren with her on the couch. The women didn't bother stopping anything, their lips still hooked onto each other's, they kissed even more fiercely.

All of a sudden, Lauren pulled herself from Bo, breaking the intense sexual chemistry that was gradually filling up the air and their bodies.

Shaking her head as though she couldn't quite understand what had come over her, she pushed herself up and away from Bo's hold. "I'm sorry…"

"N…no, don't be sorry Lauren, there is nothing to be sorry about." Gasping, Bo raised herself on her elbows and pinned Lauren with a gaze completely overwhelmed with desire.

"I can't." Lauren muttered, her hands covering her face.

"Yes you can!" Bo said, as confused as Lauren was.

"No, I'm sorry."

Without much more explanation, Lauren fled the scene, just like that, leaving Bo bewildered on the couch.

"What the…double Hell!"

**xxxxx**

Today was the day. The day Bo had been preparing herself for. The day she would finally be meeting the Thornwood.

"Bo, I know I'm not even playing, but you sure I don't look too ridiculous in this outfit?"

"No Kenzi, we'll all look the same here." Bo said with a tone as neutral and emotionless as it can be.

As they walked through the parking lot to get to the golf club, Kenzi came in front of Bo and stopped her. "Bo, what's wrong? You've been very quiet since yesterday."

"It's…it's just…nothing."

"Oh no no no no! I know you way too well to know that there is something not quite right going on, on your mind. You went to see Ryan last night, I thought that would have helped you get the day off on the right foot this morning."

That's right, after Lauren left in the middle of the action, Bo felt the urge to make a booty call. _Fuck the doctor_. She booty-called Ryan. She settled on him among all of her other options because she didn't want pity or lame sex. She needed good sex, furious sex. She thought it would get her over the disappointing afternoon she had with Lauren. She was wrong. Bizarrely, Ryan's great keenness did nothing for her to overcome her frustration. But she knew it wasn't his fault, he was great in bed as always, but the aftermath remained the same; she woke up this morning just as annoyed and irritated as the day before. She didn't really understand why she felt so deeply upset; she usually doesn't have much expectation from her potential bed partners. _Damn Lauren Lewis_.

"I guess it's just this whole Thornwood family thing." Bo needed to focus on her mission and her action plan today. "No really, it's really just that."

"Okay…If you say so." Kenzi knew it wasn't just that, but decided not to ruin the day. They were here for a reason so she wanted to get on with it.

Kenzi had accepted to accompany Bo this morning even if Ryan had offered to come. He was being sweet but Bo had to decline; the last thing she needed was a cockblocker on this specific day.

All participants gathered on the terrace, pleased and proud to be taking part in the event. Teams were being called after the organizers gave their welcome speech. Bo was smart, when she came to register for the tournament, she also got in touch with the event organizers and asked to be put in the same foursome team than Morpheus members, in exchange of extra donation for Youth Sport Village. Rainer and Dyson Thornwood names were called up, then another random guy from the group of participants. She finally got to see the bothers in person, walking up to the shotgun start area.

"Whoa, Daaaamn! Can we call this a morning eye candy? They are freaking sexy hunks! Kenzi did not even try to mask her unexpected excitement over the Thornwood brothers. But Bo had to agree though; they were much better looking than in the magazines. In fact, they look like Greek Gods! In other circumstances, she would sex them all up, probably all at the same time!

"…and last but not the least member of team #5 is Isabeau McCorrigan." The presenter announced.

In front of Kenzi surprised look, Bo confirmed "That would be me." and got up to join the foursome, complete the team.

"Hi, I'm Bo. Nice to meet you. I guess we'll be spending the day together" Bo reached for a hand shake.

Rainer was the first to return the greeting. "If only I had known I'd be teaming up with a beautiful lady like you this morning…" he never finished the sentence, but would not let Bo's hand go either.

"Hi, I'm Dyson." The big brother simply said.

At this point, Bo knew her job was already half done for the day. _Alright gentlemen, let's do this._

Kenzi stayed on the clubhouse terrace overlooking the golf course. She was better at drinking than playing golf, or any other sport for that matter. Unfortunately, sitting next to her were three very annoying women who would not stop bragging about their fancy catches or future husbands. It seemed this was the place to meet rich business men.

Bo did not hesitate to show off her golf skills, newly acquired, or her seductive skills with her trademark gaze and smile. It seemed to work so far as Rainer would not stop complementing on each one of her swing and shot. He would not stop staring at her, admiring her. The usual look she would get from any man in general, from both of them. But she noticed Dyson was being more discreet than Rainer. Overall, it was an easy job for Bo.

They had a great game. The brothers were definitely awesome players and Bo was not bad either. She gave it all, thanks to Ryan. After finishing the 18th hole, they congratulated each other and made their way back to the club Bistro-Bar.

"I'm impressed. I never imagined a beautiful lady like you could be such a golf adept." Rainer was a charmer. He didn't even have to try. On the other hand, Dyson was more of an observer, but Bo knew she must have got some effect on him too.

They walked back to the main building, where Kenzi waited for them.

"How come have I never seen you here before? Most people here are regular golfers of the club or regular charity event guests, participants or sponsors." Rainer obviously gave in to Bo's charm and wanted to know more about her.

"I only joined my grandfather in his a small business recently and I thought this was the perfect opportunity for me to network with peers and develop new business relationships in a fun and social environment, all while supporting local charities. Also to…"

"Oh Rainer! Here you are!" a woman coming out of nowhere yelled.

"Dyson! We've been waiting all morning for you guys." Another one said.

Some groupies just swamped the two men and didn't bother acknowledging Bo's presence or the third man in the team. Dyson gave them a smile without much interest and stayed almost as quiet as he had been all morning during the game. Rainer on other hand seemed to find it very funny and actually enjoyed the women attention.

"We were getting hungry." One blonde said and before the brothers knew it, they were dragged by the arms toward the dining area specially set-up for the event.

Rainer looked over his shoulder and had just enough time to shout "I'll see you at the award ceremony later?" before the women took him away.

Bo smiled and gave a nod Rainer didn't get to see.

"Ugh, those chicks are with them? They've been so annoying. I had to sit there and listen to them gossiping and bragging about their fancy dresses and latest luxury vacations all morning.

Bo didn't expect to have to compete with anyone to get a guy's attention today, she was not the type to do so and was not used to this. She had never had to make any effort to get attention. She never needed it either. But in this case, she'll do what she'll need to do. Those girls will be easy to toss; it'd be a piece of cake. And this was confirmed when during the award ceremony Rainer sneaked away from the women, while they tried to get their claws into him, to talk to Bo and Kenzi.

They discussed about the day and their work, to which Bo had to lie about slightly.

Kenzi being Kenzi, left the pair to go hunt for some more finger food and cocktails since dinner was over and her stomach wasn't completely satisfied.

Now that he was left alone with Bo, Rainer took the opportunity to make his move."We may not have won any trophy or monetary prize today, but I won something even better."

"What did you win?" Bo asked curiously since no one else in the team won anything.

"Your company." Rainer smiled while looking into Bo's deep brown eyes. Rainer sure knew how to make a woman feels special. "Would you have dinner with me…later on this week? I would really love to see you again Miss McCorrigan"

_Bingo!_ Bo felt she just had her mission accomplished...for today anyway. "I gladly accept the invitation. I'd love to see you again too."

The two exchanged flirty looks and smiles all the while being watched and observed by a sceptical Dyson.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I am sorry for this chapter. Not the length I was hoping for (some unforeseen event kept me busy lately), but I got a little impatient to publish it and decided to save some parts for the next one (coming very soon). I hope you won't be (too) disappointed with the content of this chapter.**

**Thank you dear readers for your patience. ****Enjoy and please review.**

**Love xx**

**XXXXX**

Lauren had a hard time forgetting that particular afternoon. How could she. It was so unlikely her to do what she did there, and to run away from it the way she did.

In between seeing two patients, Lauren's thoughts revolved around Bo, and Bo's lips, Bo's eyes, Bo's smile. She hadn't felt that way in a long time; wanting and craving for someone's touch, someone's kiss. But she wished she hadn't act on it. _Damn you Lauren! You shouldn't have let yourself tempted at all! _

Now, deep down inside her guts, she felt torn. She wasn't ready for any of this. Lauren was convinced it was all a bad idea. Being curious about Bo was a bad idea. Being around Bo was a bad idea. Kissing Bo was definitely not a good idea. Not now, not yet. How could she right the wrong now? Should she be trying to get a meeting with Bo, sit down and talk about it? Explain herself? Did she need to do it? Did she need to tell Bo about her personal life? Did Bo even care? Maybe the brunette had already gotten over it and onto the next thing, whatever her thing was. If so, Lauren was tempted to do the same and save herself from more embarrassment or torture. Maybe that was how she would be dealing with this situation. Even more unlikely her, she wished to never see or run into the woman again.

_Back to my normal life now, before the Bo Dennis situation._ So Lauren Lewis though. She shook her head to chase the hunting woman's face away and forced an inner smile at herself before receiving her next patient in the exam room.

**xxxxx**

"Can we say yesterday was a successful day? I got free food, free drinks and even got tanned look!" Kenzi showed her forearms to Bo.

"I'm glad you didn't get bored."

"Okay, you're 300$ in the red since that tournament, but you got a hot man for yourself at the end. Or…did you want both of them?"

"Nope, one Thornwood is all I need…for now."

"Bo, you say it in the same tone you'd be saying you need eggs to make pancakes...okaaay, no pancakes." Looking at the bacon and eggs Bo was cooking. "Once you'll have him, how will he fit in the plan?"

"My first plan was to show up at Morpheus Capital doorstep, make my way to the top floor and ask straight up the senior managers or the CEO A.K.A. Jack Hades Thornwood A.K.A. The King of Porfolios to spill it out and tell me everything he knows about my parents' death, then hope that the killer, whoever it is, would simply admit to the crime. But apparently, it doesn't work that way. If a crime had been committed, which I know it had, and the secret deeply buried, no one will ever tell _ME_ anything. So my second plan is to use my power of seduction on a Thornwood, make him fall hard for me so I can use him, have him do the dirty work, dig up and expose any skeleton in the family closet, confront his own wolf pack if need be to find the truth for me. Kenzi, would you get me two plates for the bacon' n eggs please?"

"Woah, you ARE dark." Kenzi whispered, her eyes completely widened.

"No, I am a daughter searching for her parents' murderers."

They sat at the kitchen counter and ate their breakfast quietly. Kenzi finished her 5 eggs, 5 bacons and 4 toasts then looked at Bo's plate. It had barely been touched. She tossed hers and took a sip in her coffee mug. She gently put it down and looked at Bo.

"Bo, Darling, what's wrong? You haven't been much like yourself the last 2 days. And don't say it's because of Morpheus or the brothers, because if that was the case I would be feeling revenge vibes coming from you and I'd be seeing anger in your eyes. But it's something else I see…sadness?"

Bo, who was playing with her food, put her fork down and looked at Kenzi. Hesitantly, she said "It's Lauren".

"…Lauren? Lauren who? Who's Lauren? Oh...The blonde girl who came to the bar the other night for her cellphone? What about her?" Kenzi asked, not knowing where Bo was going with that.

"I happened to run into her at the hospital one day, she works there…she's the one who treated me after the golf incident."

"Oh"

"Two days ago I ran into her again, at the pub this time and she gave me a ride home, with the boxes and all. My sexual appetite took over and I kissed her."

"You went after a _WOMAN_? You haven't done that in like…_AGES_! And a _DOCTOR_? Soooooo not your type! Didn't you say you hated having sex with women?!"

"Noooo, I totally did _NOT_ say that Kenz! I said I hated the morning-after sex. Women tend to want more from me when all I wanted was to hookup, get some action going to feed my hunger. With men, I don't have to worry about that, I don't have this issue. A one-night generally stays a one-night…okay sometime it can turn into a quick morning hookup too, but generally speaking, I skip out on the cuddle and I leave or politely tell them to leave. There's no expectation from neither of us and I like it that way. But with women, it's hardly the case. Also, ghosting a guy is easier to do than ghosting a girl. I always feel bad for her…every single time I had to do it."

No surprise there, Bo was not the relationship type. She barely did dates. Ryan was an exception. Ryan was an _experiment_ in the relationship field. So she did give it a try, but that was way before she came to know herself, who she really was, as a woman, as person. Before she came to embrace her nature and her needs.

"My My! My bad, I totally misunderstood _THAT_ part! So you went for Blondie…how was it?"

"We kissed, at first she seemed very…into it…and then…she ran away."

"She ran away? Where? Why?"

"I have no clue!"

Kenzi reached out to put her hand on Bo's shoulder and gave her wise advice "Bo, you can have any man or any woman you want in the world…beside me…so just go get another one!"

"I can't stop thinking about her." Bo looked down at her plate.

"Do you only see her as a potential sexual partner or…Oh…Bo! Is that…do I sense some feelings here, from you, the Huntress, the Succubus?"

"I don't know, I don't know Kenzi…I don't know what it is, but it's upsetting me. S_he_ upsets me…I don't like that...at all!"

Kenzi looked at Bo in silence. Bo usually knows what she wants and what she doesn't want. Who she wants and who she doesn't want. But in front of this Bo, a Bo Kenzi barely recognized, she was out of words to make her friend feel better. But she wanted to do something. Anything.

Bo pushed her plate toward Kenzi. "I gotta go to work, you can have it."

Kenzi accepted it with excitement and pulled it even closer to her. "More bacon for _moi_!...But Bo it's Sunday, the word "work" shall not be pronounced in this apartment on a Sunday! I was hoping we can just chill together for the first time in our new place."

"Sorry Kenz, I have work to catch up on, my real, normal work. I've been putting off a lot of it the last two weeks". As she got up, she murmured to herself "That's what I should be focusing on anyway, my job…and my vengeance, nothing else should matter."

**xxxxx**

The office and the lab were empty as expected. Bo needed to enter all the data and information she had collected from the survey she did for the current local project she was working on. There was no travelling planned for her this year and it was a good thing considering the plans she had made for her personal life and her particular situation.

Bags of dirt were sorted and sectioned off in different ways across several tables in the middle of the room. There were boxes under the tables and over a hundred stacked on shelves along the wall with more gallon bags of dirt. At her desk, Bo was deeply concentrated in her papers when the top of one of the opened web pages indicated she just received a new email in her personal web mail.

She opened it. She had been waiting for this email.

_Dear Bo,_

_For your sake and for my own, do not attempt to look any deeper into this._

_Luke B._

It was not sent from the Real Estate email address but from his personal one.

_How can I not want to look deeper into this with this kind of statement? Luke, you definitely know A LOT and I will not stop!_

She responded with a message full of determination.

_Mr. Bennett, please tell me everything you know. I am ready for anything and everything to get to the truth._

_What really happened? Who was involved? Morpheus members? Why?_

_Just tell me. I promise nobody will know it's from you._

_I need to know._

She was now filled with anger and despair. But also a hint of hope that this person would give her some information, some tips, some lead. If she had been 99.9% sure her parents were murdered, she was now at 200% sure. There was no doubt anymore. It was now a certainty.

Gritting her teeth, Bo swore she would get through to him in a way or another.

**xxxxx**

Kenzi'd never like the feel of a hospital. Any hospital. The odors of antiseptic, talc from the latex gloves and disinfectant burned in her nostrils. Even the music played in waiting areas drove her nuts. Everything about hospital made her sick even when she wasn't.

"Excuse-me, I wanna see Lauren. Is she in today?" Seeing the lack of response and reaction from the reception desk old lady, Kenzi asked again "Is Lau...Uh…Dr…Dr Lewis here? I need to see her…now!"

"Ma'am, you will have to register with me first and we'll…"

"No I don't need to register I'm not sick, I just need to talk to her." Kenzi had retained enough information about this Lauren to know her full name, to know that she would find her at this hospital, if she was lucky enough, and that she needed to talk to her ASAP.

"Do you have an emergency? What is the emergency?"

"Yeah I do have an emergency, but only Dr. Lewis, Lauren Lewis can fix it."

Lauren just finished treating her last patient and came to drop a paper at the reception when she heard her name. "Hi…Can I help you?"

Kenzi turned to be face to face with the exact person she was there to see. "Dr. Lewis…Lauren? I'm Kenzi, do you remember me? We met at the pub, I'm Bo's friend."

"Oh…yes! Bo's friend and roommate right?"

"Yes, _YES_! That's right, look I…"

"Sorry Doctor, I was trying to make her understand that she needed to register if she wanted to see a doctor…" The receptionist interrupted, looking very bothered and very impatiently at Kenzi.

"It's okay Helen, I'll take care of her and everything else."

"Look we need to talk…"

"Okay uhmm, come with me." Lauren brought Kenzi to the closest exam room and closed the door behind her.

"What can I help you with Kenzi?" Lauren asked a little confused. What could this little woman she met only once, so briefly, wanted to discuss with her about.

Kenzi dropped her bag on the exam table and turned around to face Lauren, "I don't know what happened between you and Bo, actually I kind of know a little, but whatever else happened before or after, Bo is not quite the same person anymore and I want my Bo back!"

Lauren was startled. She couldn't be more startled than this. She wanted to understand what Kenzi was saying. "I don't…"

"What did you do to her? _WHAT_ did you do to my friend?" Kenzi cut.

"I wish I knew what to tell you, but I don't know what you mean by…Bo is not the same anymore..."

"Bo is usually a happy person…and carefree, but since she met you, or I should say, since the last time she met with you, she's been all…kind of things but happy and carefree. She's been very upset and, just not herself. Ok, there's other _BIG_ stuff happening in her life right now, but that's beside the point. _YOU_ done something to her and _YOU_ need to fix this _ASAP_, Doctor!" And that was how the impromptu visitor ended her visit before grabbing her bag and fiercely opened the door. Once in the corridor, she looked left, then right, trying to figure out which way she came from.

"On your right" Lauren shouted.

_Bo so upset? Kenzi seemed so concerned…she's right, I need to fix this_. _There is really no way to avoid seeing Bo again after all._ Lauren sighed heavily. It was her turned to be upset.

**xxxxx**

"So you finally got that date you were hoping and waiting for huh?" Kenzi looked at her friend getting ready in the bathroom, in her little red dress. It was a Chinese style dress and it reminded Kenzi of Bo's kimono, but it had nothing to do with it! "You really are putting the hottest version of yourself on for tonight!"

"I have to!" Bo responded after applying a thin layer of clear lip gloss over the lipstick to complement her overall look. Looking at herself in the mirror, Bo knew she was pretty and attractive even when was not even trying.

"I hope things turn out as you want tonight."

Bo turned to Kenzi and took a deep breath. "Me too." She looked at her watch. "Alright, I'll see you later."

**xxxxx**

"Yes ma'am, there is reservation for you. Please follow me."

Bo insisted to meet at the restaurant; she didn't want to be picked up at home. This venue was chosen to impress her; a fancy French cuisine restaurant, one of those you normally need to book three months in advance. But that was where this first date was taking place.

The host pointed to a table along the window and invited Bo to join the guest who had arrived not long before her. As soon as he saw Bo, Rainer stood up to greet his date.

"You look stunning." His eyes brightened as he said it. He went around the table to pull on her chair for her to take a seat.

He knew how to be a gentleman and impress a woman with money, Bo thought.

After ordering a fine bottle from Saint-Émilion Grand Cru and their main dishes, Rainer wasted no time and quickly engaged in conversation.

"So tell me about you, I want to know everything about you."

"I'm just the average woman who works as an archaeologist and helps her grandfather with the pub."

"Tell me about your childhood, your love life…your dreams." Rainer leaned closer to Bo and lowered his tone. "There is something very intriguing about you but I can't seem to put my finger on it." He straightened himself up with a wicked smile on his face.

Bo chuckled, "That is…normal, we barely know each other." Joining her hands together on the table, she in turn leaned over with her most dominant smile and look "But if you thought I was full of mystery with dark secrets, I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"Maybe I won't."

They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment in silence, almost as if they were waiting for the other to break the gaze first, until the waitress interrupted them with the bottle of wine.

"Would you like to taste it first?"

They talked all night, learned about each other's career and childhood. Bo did not hesitate to tell Rainer about the tragic night that claimed her parents' lives. She did not hesitate to use her body language to seduce him all night either, with her look, smile and touches.

The night went as planned. Rainer seemed to be totally captivated by the woman sitting in front of him.

"With all that being said, I'd like us to continue this conversation at my place, if you feel like it too." he said finishing his glass of wine.

"I'm curious to know what a Thornwood day looks like in a Thornwood environment. But let's start with a Thornwood night." she winked as she finished her glass as well.

Rainer hailed a cab and it took them to his luxurious town house.

"Miss Bo McCorrigan, it's an honor to have you in my home." Rainer said as he opened the door of his 3 story house which a garage was also attached to. As a real gentleman, he took care of removing Bo's jacket and putting it away, and then went to his wooden bar cabinet.

"Would you like wine, whiskey, brandy or…"

"I'll have what you are having." Bo cut with a smile, feeling the impatience taking over her. An impatience caused by different reasons and those reasons are a little contradictory. She was there on a mission, but yet her sexual appetite was kicking in and needless to say, she felt a rush to jump on him. However, she knew she needed to build up his desire for her.

"Whiskey on the rock it is!" he handed her the tumbler.

Bo took it from him, making sure their hands touched. Glass in hand, she walked around the living room, examining every corner while displaying her trademark curves at her every moves, especially when she bent over to look closely at a sculpture on a table. A lion's head made of bronze. She could feel Rainer's eyes on her posterior. She continued on her visit.

"The Boomslang Tree Canopy Walkway painting here, did you get it from South Africa as well? The same place than the sculpture?"

"Indeed. I was on a business trip there a few years ago. I couldn't resist the natural beauty of the country and needed to bring back a part of it." Surprised and charmed by the woman's knowledge, this time he couldn't resist the beauty of the live perfectly sculpted statuette standing in his living room.

Bo was looking outside the bay window, waiting, when Rainer finally came behind her and plant soft kisses on her neck, his way to get really intimate really quickly. She felt his already hard sex against her butt cheeks. His beard tickled her a little. She turned around to grab the back of his neck, his face inches from hers, and their lips finally caught each other's. Their tongues battled for dominance, instantly upping the level of arousal. Bo wasn't going lose this fight.

In the bedroom, on top of him, she was not gentle. He liked it. He loved it. He begged for more. She gave him more.

But Bo didn't feel like herself. She felt there was something she wasn't in control of, either her sex drive or some rage inside of her. It was caused by a feeling of emptiness. Yes, she was on a mission, but unfortunately this wasn't the chi energy sucking act she was hoping for. Something was missing and Bo Dennis was trying to fill an emotional void she didn't know existed with rough sex.

While she gave it to him, she was thinking of somebody else...


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Still not the length I was hoping for and the pace may have slowed down a little, but here is an answer to one of the questions.**

**(Went back to the previous chapter to correct some grammatical errors, it's embarrassing!)**

**Thank you for reading. ****Enjoy and please review.**

**Love xx**

**XXXXX**

Dyson choked on his coffee "You think you what?"

"I think I'm in love."

"Rainer, this is the most risible thing I've ever heard you say!" He reached for a napkin to wipe his mouth.

"No...I'm serious! She's a goddess...or the evil itself, I don't know and I don't care 'cause she's got it all...Goshhh!" Rainer exclaimed the same way a teen would when discovering Fortnite video game for the first time. "Dyson, she could be your sister-in-law one day you know!" Rainer joked as he went around behind his brother, leaving the coffee lounge to return to his office.

"Ok, now you are being COM-PLE-TELY ridiculous!" Dyson showed some real concerned for his younger brother. "Rainer, you met her once...ok, twice. Did she use some weird witchcraft or black magic on you?" He followed his brother out of the common area into the hallway.

"Brother, I think I just experienced love at first sight. Beside the...wild and crazy sex, she's also a brilliant, funny free spirited woman. I've never met any woman like her. And you know I've met many...MANY." the younger one explained showing much amazement in his voice over his new female interest. "I can't wait for you to meet Bo...I mean, meet Bo again. You'll love her too. Actually, maybe I would want to keep this one for myself. I feel I could actually become jealous with her. God! I want her, I want her to be mine already...and mine only! Anyway, we should do supper, think about it. You can bring a date too if you want."

Who was this woman, really? Dyson wondered. Why was she so special to his brother? It was indeed the first time Rainer acted so intensely, for the lack of better word, after spending one night with a woman. Only one single night. And he was already set to marry her. That had never happened before. This intrigued and worried him. He convinced himself that she must not be THAT special. She was probably just like all these women putting on a show, displaying their best assets to impress a handsome young rich man with the dream of becoming the next city First Lady.

His brother had a promising future and was already successful in the field. He was also very popular with women and needless to say, loved the attention. Dyson on the other hand preferred discretion. He was a very reserved person. Unlike his brother, he had not date half of the young ladies in town. He only had a few serious girlfriends before he tight the knot with Ciara, a very respectful lawyer. They had had a few happy years before divorcing two years ago. But they parted ways on good terms and remained friends.

"I'll see you at lunch" Rainer pointed to the restaurant across the street as he entered his office.

Rainer was very smart, even with women, but Dyson was afraid this Bo just, say, _unsmarted_ his brother. The first time, the only time, he saw the brunette, he already knew she was different, even dubious. The way she was looking at Rainer during the tournament day was, unlike all the other women who had been after his brother, not only malicious; he could almost swear her eyes was sparkling with evil intentions. He didn't know why he felt so cynical about her, but decided to keep an eye on his brother's new lady.

**xxxxx**

The cafeteria was busy today. Lauren chose to have a sandwich for lunch so she can go back to her office in half an hour. At first she wanted to take a longer break but unsurprisingly, something important and urgent popped in her mind and she also wanted to achieve as much work as possible. This happened every lunch time for the doctor. When there was any lunch time at all.

She was particularly tired the last couple of days. Even after work, when she could finally relax her body, she could hardly relax her mind. A few weeks ago, when her shifts ended, when it was time to go back to her own life, she always had something to look forward to. Lately, she seemed to just bury herself in work.

Back to her office, she pulled out the patient's medical record database to look into a specific one and wrote down the phone number on a notepad.

_It's happening today, before I change my mind._

**xxxxx**

The load of work that needed to be completed by the end of the month was bigger than what Bo had originally thought. She would probably have to stay late tonight again and come in to the lab every single day for the next week or so.

Her phone rang. "Hey Kenz!"

"Hey, where have you been? I didn't hear you coming back the other night. And I didn't see you at all yesterday either. Are you avoiding me? Now that we are roommates?"

"No Kenzi. I just didn't come home the other night and yesterday, well I left very early and came to the lab. When I got back you were already asleep. Today will be a similar day at the office."

"Ok, just checking. So...how did it go with Mister Rainer?"

"Got the job done. Waiting for his next...move…and mentally preparing mine."

"Mmmkay…Are you alright?"

There was a moment of silence. "I'll see you later tonight ok?" Bo sighted.

"Alright...Talk to you later. I'm here for you if you need to chit-chat."

"I know…Thanks."

As Bo hung up, a text came in. _I'd like to see you again. Are you free on Friday? My brother and his girlfriend-to-be might join us._ Bo texted Rainer back and gave an affirmative answer. She sighed heavily as she put the phone back on the desk. She should be glad things are going as planned, but she was not.

She had just gone back to her monitor screen when the phone rang again. She quickly picked it up "Kenzi I'm a little busy, I said I'll see you lat..."

"_Bo? It's uh...it's Lauren_."

Bo straightened herself in her chair. "Oh...Lauren..." The call, the voice took her by surprise.

"_Sorry...I...uhmm...I got your number from your file. Listen, I'd like to talk about what happened the other day. I think I owe some explanation_."

"No Lauren, you don't owe me anything…"

"_Bo, I very much wish you could give me a chance to explain_."

"Okay…if you insist." Bo tried to keep a neutral tone in her voice.

"_Okay, uhmm, can we meet today? My shift ends in 3 hours. If you can't today…_"

"No today is fine. I'll wait for you at the Pub…come over when you're done."

"_Wonderful! I'll see you there then_."

"See you."

And here Bo thought she wouldn't hear from the blond doctor again. Even when she wanted to forget about Lauren she knew it wasn't going to be as easy as said, but she almost got there. This call though, brought her back to the state of mind she was in two weeks prior to and a mix of feelings pervaded her again. The woman inadvertently found a way to get into her head again. And her heart...but that, Bo didn't know yet.

**xxxxx**

The past three hours had been filled with intriguing thoughts and questions. The ones she had successfully dismissed and ditched earlier this week. However, Bo was impatient to hear what Lauren had to say.

She didn't plan on working behind the bar this week, but since she was already here, she decided to give a hand and help the staff out. It also kept her mind busy and kept her from creating any expectation from this meet-up.

One of the customers left two twenty dollar bills on the bar counter and didn't bother waiting for a receipt. When Bo grabbed the money, she noticed a note on the bill. _It's been a while. Call me._ She glanced at the phone number then looked up, and tried to find who left it. Some red hair woman at the door turned to smile at Bo before leaving the pub. Obviously, the woman knew her but Bo couldn't say as much. She was probably one of the women she took home and bedded when she first started working at the pub. Bo completed the transaction on the cash register and put the bill on top of the stash under the counter. Two or three months ago she would had kept the number and probably considered making the phone call for some fun time or go on a sexual escapade, but today she was miles away from that objective.

A woman walked in who Bo thought was Lauren. She couldn't hide the small sign of disappointment on her face when she saw it wasn't her.

No matter how busy she was behind the bar, she kept glimpsing at the entrance, impatiently waiting to see the familiar figure.

She hated such waiting.

The doctor finally appeared at the door. Lauren found Bo behind the beer dispenser and sent her a timid smile.

Bo returned a smile that was just as timid. The minutes leading up to this moment were restless and uneasy. But now, as Lauren approached the bar, Bo felt her knees go weak. And weaker. _Bo! Get yourself together Jeeeez!_ She told herself. The way her body reacted at the sight of this woman was unexpected;

"Hi!"

"Hi!" Bo replied. A moment of silence followed. It felt like a Déjà vu, back when they got to meet for the first time.

Lauren was about to sit on the stool available next to her when Bo stopped her. "No, let's go sit over there." Bo pointed to a table in a corner away from the crowd she took care of reserving for them.

Bo filled two glasses of water and brought them with her. It kept her hands busy as she felt a little nervous. And naked. Something she had never minded in the past, figuratively or not. She handled one to Lauren as she took the seat across her interlocutor.

"Thank you."

"Let me know if you need anything else." At the negative head gesture from Lauren, Bo cleared her throat and tried to make small talk, in an attempt to clear the air and make herself feel at ease. "So…how was your day?"

"It was a long day, a long shift. I'm happy it's done." Lauren paused, knowing what would come next was going to get serious. "Look, about the other day, I want to…I need to apologize…again. I shouldn't have let you...hanging."

"Lauren, you probably have your reasons. Legit reasons…I imagine. But yes, I did wonder. It confused me. I thought you wanted it too, from the response I got from you and..."

"I did…" Lauren cut off. She was about to say something else but wanted to make sure she would carefully choose the words to express herself.

Bo frowned, listening, waiting for the usual "But" that would normally follow this kind of statement.

"I'm extremely…cautious…with my feelings, therefore…my actions." Lauren saw Bo's inquiring look. A look she had not seen from the brunette since they met. "I don't let people in easily. The most important women in my life left me, for different reasons. First my mother, who left me at a relatively young age; she died from complications of Cystic Fibrosis."

Lauren's eyes brightened momentarily as she talked about her mom. "She was a very dedicated and loving single mother. She was everything to me, and I was everything to her. She had dreams for me, but she didn't get to live long enough to see any of it. Despite her condition and our everyday struggles, I thought my mother and I would still be able to live a long decent life, supporting each other…I was wrong. She died peacefully in my arms, the day after she turned 35." Lauren paused and sighed. "I felt so powerless. It was so unfair. Since that day, I closed myself to the world, for a very long time."

Bo swallowed loudly. She was lost in Lauren's pain, and in her own. "I'm sorry to hear that." Bo said, trying to find Lauren eyes as they seemed to have gazed off into the distance, through the glass of water in front of her. Bo and Lauren may have more in common than it appeared after all; the pain of losing parents prematurely.

"…until I met Amelia." Lauren continued. "I met her in my darkest moments. As a young orphan teen, I was placed in foster homes. Amelia was the oldest daughter of a good family I was fortunate enough to be placed in. She found a way to get through me. We became friends…best friends. We were almost inseparable. Our friendship inevitably turned into something more, something deeper. Then we were off to college. That was when she started to change."

Bo could feel the memories still affected Lauren.

"She met new people, made new friends, found new challenges in life. But all these changes pressured her to establish her own identity among them. I believe she had felt invisible to the rest of the world for a long time and knew our relationship was based on need. She realized she now had plenty of options, had potential and wanted to benefit as much as possible from relationships. So...she decided the only way for her to achieve it was to turn her back on me and join the group of popular students." Lauren frowned uncomprehendingly. "Suddenly, our relationship meant nothing to her anymore. I wasn't enough. I became nothing."

Bo listened in silence. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that anyone would treat her that way.

"The latest woman in my life was Nadia. We met during med school. It was serious. We made plans together. We made promises to one another. We had our common dreams. I saw my future with her and her only. She felt the same way too."

Lauren paused again to drink some water. "As generous of a person as she was, and armed with her will to change the world, she decided to apply for a United Nations volunteer position shortly after finishing her residency. She had been chosen. She took the assignment and left for Syria for twelve months. She had found her true calling, her purpose in life she said. She told me she wasn't coming back."

Bo could see the sorrow in Lauren's eyes and it saddened her.

"I admired her for making such a hard decision. Of course, I couldn't blame her. But it crushed me to know that I wasn't enough for her. We could have helped and saved people together, here or anywhere in the world, I would have made some compromises and sacrifices over my own career and goals. But she said she needed to do this on her own. It was her calling and hers only. I wanted to be happy for her, but instead I felt devastated to realize I was…left behind one more time, by the person who was again, everything to me." Lauren looked up to Bo to display a forced smile. "I was going to propose."

The last statement slightly chocked Bo. She hesitated before asking "Do you still love her?"

Lauren smiled and sighted "Three years later, even I knew I needed to let go, I was still hoping she would come back. Call me silly…"

"No, you are not silly." Bo put her hand on Lauren's.

In the background of the pub, Dust to Dust from The Civil Wars was playing. Some of the lyrics really hit close to home for them at this moment.

"Then you came along." Lauren looked at Bo in the eyes. "You made me want to open myself to someone new. You made me want to move on. After all those years of self-inflicted loneliness, I finally wanted to let myself go. Abandon myself to feelings and…temptations." Lauren started to blush. "Every time I saw you, I wanted to…indulge myself in you…"

It was Bo's turn to blush. The woman sitting in front of her destabilized her completely, in every ways possible. Her honesty and her vulnerability made her even more lovable. And how Lauren threw herself out there for her, or because of her, pleasantly chocked her.

"But that day, I panicked. I wasn't sure anymore if I could do it…if I was ready to let go. Let go of the pain I got used to. The pain I came to be familiar with. In the past 4 years I've built a wall around myself and found comfort in my solitude. I didn't know if I wanted to let that wall down, to invest in something, in someone and risk losing everything again".

After hearing her story, Bo was even more drawn to the good doctor. She now understood where Lauren came from and wanted to be the one to ease Lauren's personal, internal conflict. What she felt for Lauren at this exact moment was a different kind of desire. It was a mental attraction to her soul.

Bo put her other hand under Lauren's palm. "Lauren, I would never ask you to do anything you don't feel comfortable of doing. There is no rush. You are not ready and it's okay, I totally understand." Bo tried her best to be comforting. She took a reassuring tone. "You don't have to commit to anything or anyone right now. Why don't we take it slow? Like…baby steps?"

"I would very much love to. Baby steps." Lauren smiled in gratitude.

Bo was more than happy about this new development. She hardly hid her joy. At the same time, she was very unsure of what she just proposed to the object of her infatuation.

But Bo knew one thing: Lauren was ready to let her in her walls and Bo had no intention of letting anyone or anything make the doctor regret this decision.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi guys!**

**Gawd! It felt like it took me forever to write this chapter. I'm not good, not natural at this, but I did work hard on this fluff one (and rushed it a little too, so you will probably find errors). Also, this chapter answers to no one's questions, but I believe you have all kinda been waiting for it and expected it (wink wink). I may have gone a bit over the top in writing the last three quarters of this chapter but I thought it encapsulates something important about our characters and helps see how they will evolve throughout the story and needed to be inserted in the plot at some point, in one way or another. But I went my way.**

**And Hey! It's Christmas! So this is my gift to you. I hope you'll like it.**

**Please review. I love reading your reviews and they keep me going. Thank you.**

**And...Happy Holidays dear readers! May the New Year bring you love, joy and good health! Chin-chin!**

**XXXXX**

A man stood by the window, staring through at the lights of the city. Holding an old-fashioned glass in his hand, he made the ice cubes clinked before taking a long swallow from it.

He sighed.

He turned and slowly crossed the dark room to a rosewood cabinet. Inside were some blends of Scotch, bourbon and rye whiskey, but not enough bottles to fill the shelf. He set the glass on top of the antique cabinet, right next to a photo and an old roll of undeveloped negative film, and then knelt on one knee to pull on one of the two drawers at the bottom. He put the old picture along with the roll of negative film back into the drawer. He reached for a set of small keys on top and locked that bottom part of the cabinet. No one else had ever had access to it and it would remain this way. He got back up and replaced the keys into his pocket before extracting a bottle of Scotch and pouring a hefty splash in the old-fashioned glass.

He returned to the window, took a sip of his drink, and went back deep, into his reflection.

**xxxxx**

"Baby steps huh?" Kenzi asked incredulously.

"I know right? What does that even mean?" Bo asked, but it was mostly to herself.

"Why did you even mention it then?" Vex seemed to be quite interested in the subject matter.

Vex wanted to pay a visit to his ex-roommate, so the girls invited him over for an early supper. As usual, they ate on the counter, just next to the pans and the sink. It always felt it was easier and quicker to clean after eating when sitting there.

"Oh Bo…What does a succubus need to do to get in Doctor Hotpants pants!?"

"Jeez Kenz! Would you please stop saying that! I don't kill people when I have sex with them! And it has always been very consensual...just so you know."

"Oh, but your power of seduction might as well make you one!"

"I agree!" Vex confirmed.

Bo rolled her eyes. "Anyway guys, but yes, I may have kind of said it because I thought that was what she wanted and needed to hear...but...I think I want it too."

Kenzi cocked her eyebrow at her friend. "Do you even know how to do that?"

"I'm wondering the same thing! Like…how small are those steps?! This is a lot of unknown territories for me. Gosh! It's getting me nervous. I think I will be the one panicking and running away next time! It's almost scary...but also...exciting!" Bo's eyes glowed with unexpected thrill in them.

"Haaahaaaa! _THAT _would be funny! But I doubt it. Your huntress sex drive would take over soon enough you wouldn't even notice you had panicked."

"Vex, this the most logical thing you've ever said since I've known you." Kenzi exclaimed, pointing at Vex.

"Thanks for the pep talk buddy." Bo said ironically. "Or what if I can't control myself...as Vex presumed, and ruin everything? Destroy any chance I have with her at something...more?"

"Anyhow...Bo, why don't you just...you know...start by the start...and work on those baby steps." Kenzi put her hand on Bo's shoulder, trying to give her friend some confidence back.

"Yeah darling, work on those baby steps and try not to jump the gun." Vex drank the last sip of his beer, put the bottle down on the countertop and got up. "Well ladies, I would love to stay a little longer and ship for the very unlikely Doccubus here but I gotta be somewhere else in half an hour." Vex winked at Bo as he put his jacket on. "Bo, just remember, try not to shag Dr. Lewis on the first night alright?!"

"For Christ sake Vex!" Bo raised her hands and arms in the air, in disbelief that her friends were taking her for a sex addict. "Besides, I don't like talking about Lauren this way."

"Okayyyy...sorry!" Vex made his way to the door. "Well, good luck with your new mission...with the Doc." He shouted before closing the door behind him.

Kenzi and Bo looked at each other in small relief after Vex finished his sentence, as they thought he was talking about another mission.

Kenzi waited until she was certain Vex was gone before asking what had been on her mind the whole morning. "So...Bo, how are you gonna deal with your...situations?"

"What situations?"

"Yah know...the ones with Rainer and the one with Lauren...situations? 'Cause as I can see, you're not willing to wait any longer to go further or to develop something with the Doc, _AND_ you're not willing to abandon your investigation on the Thornwood either."

"I know, did you think I haven't thought of that? It was actually on my mind the whole time. It does bother me."

"Poor Bo, so many...situations, just one vag!"

"My vag can take it...it's my heart and my soul that I'm concerned about."

Kenzi cleared her throat, "That's what I meant."

"But you know what? I've read all these real life stories where the guy led a double life for years."

"But it never ended well, I'm sure you read that too!"

"Yeah, I know, it will definitely not end well for the Thornwood one!"

"But what if Lauren finds out? What would you do...you know...IF she does?"

Bo shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I wouldn't have a choice then, if it comes to that. I care about her…and if I want to keep her, I'd have to tell her. Hopefully, she'd understand...even if she doesn't approve any of my actions." Sadness reflected in her eyes.

Kenzi sighed deeply, knowing she wouldn't change her friend decision to carry on her two unconventional relationships. "I just hope you'll be careful, with Rainer..._AND_ Lauren." She put her hand on Bo's.

"I know. Thank you for your concern." She turned to the sink. "Let's clean up."

After everything was done, Bo went to her laptop and turned it on. She hadn't checked her emails today. She was hoping to see one from Luke Bennett.

"Did you receive anything today?" Kenzi looked over from the kitchen as she was putting the last clean glass of wine away. She would have just left all the dishes in the sink until there were none clean ones left, which would have been a great improvement already as she used to leave cups and plates about just everywhere and anywhere in her old apartment, but Bo was adamant that they try to keep everything tidy in the common areas. That was a habit, a good one, Bo had kept from working at the pub.

"No, there was none since he told me to stop. He did not even reply to my reply." This frustrated Bo, but she was not giving up. She would be patient with him just like she had been with everybody else. She wasn't the patient type, but lately she had compelled herself to become one.

One thing she could hardly be patient about was to see Lauren again. She reached for her phone at the other end of the couch and dialed the number.

"_Hello?_"

"Hi! Lauren."

"_Bo? Hi!_"

"I hope I'm not calling you at a bad time."

"_No, I'm in my office. What's going on?_"

"I just wanna know if you want to get together sometime this week…for dinner?"

"_I would love to._"

Bo could almost hear Lauren smiling; if smile had a sound.

"_I'm starting my 3 days off tomorrow. Would you like to have dinner on Friday?_" Lauren asked.

"Oh uh…No! No, not on Friday…I…uhmm…I will probably have to stay at the office…until late, very late…to…catch up with my colleagues on…our…project…" Bo answered, feeling uneasy that she had to make excuses to Lauren.

"_Oh, Okay…tomorrow then?_"

"Tomorrow is Thursday…so yes, tomorrow would be perfect! I know a good place in town that I think you'd like."

Lauren chuckled. "_Would that be a date?_"

"Yes, that would be a date! I can't wait for tomorrow…Good night Lauren." Bo hung up after Lauren returned her a good night.

"Bo, you should see yourself. You can't stop smiling."

"I have a good reason to smile." Bo gazed at her phone, still in her hand, and smiled even wider.

**xxxxx**

Lauren woke up feeling ten years younger this morning. A sense of satisfaction and a certain amount of joy filled her lungs as she took a long deep breath. Things were about to change for the better; she opened herself to Bo and it was the best decision she had made in a long time, on a personal level.

She stretched her arms, back and legs, took another deep breath, and finally got out of her bed. She tossed the curtains open, letting the eager rays of light penetrate in her room and some even fell upon her figure, warming her mind and soul. It was indeed a beautiful morning. Unless some tragedy stroke, nothing could change her mood today as she decided she would make this day a very good one.

She proceeded to please herself with a breakfast feast with everything she could find and use from her fridge and food cabinet. There are usually not much as she didn't get to spend much time at home and normally had no time to cook. But she had eggs, toasts, Nutella, jam, cereal and some fresh fruits too. Lauren hummed random songs as she prepared her meal.

A text came in. She looked at it and texted back. _Of course I will be there! There are still some small details I have to take care of, but I will be more than ready_. Everything was doing great and it felt good.

**xxxxx**

This was a new kind of excitement. Bo was going on a date, a real date, with someone she actually wanted to go on a date with. She would try to remember Kenzi's advice and not take her date to bed on the first night. She had wanted to be the one picking up Lauren but the Doctor had insisted on being the courteous one.

Bo had chosen a blue, short sleeve, off shoulder, knee-length dress for the night, one she loved for its comfort. The ball gown of the dress gave Bo a joyful look. Lauren had gone for something just as comfortable in the form a brown double breasted, high waist tailored dress pants and a white sleeveless twist V–neck blouse.

Lauren followed the directions Bo was giving and it led them to the old city. They arrived at Le 48, a restaurant well located near the Old Port.

As they walked in, Lauren noticed the interesting ambient. They were greeted by Thievery Corporation style music and muted Cirque du Soleil videos playing on the TVs. A contemporary and colorful setting with nice comfy chairs in the middle of antique mirrors garnishing the walls would best describe the feel of this place.

When the waiter got them to their table, Bo spontaneously reached for Lauren's hand and led the way. Lauren smiled at the unexpected move from Bo. As they took their places at the table across each other, Lauren couldn't help but noticed how excited Bo was. The simple idea of bringing Lauren here for their first date made Bo happy.

Lauren would admit the ambient of the restaurant quickly put customers at ease, but Bo's bright eyes and contagious smile also brought Lauren to a certain degree of gratitude, for letting her spend the evening with the incredible creature.

"Bo, I wanted to say that you look beautiful tonight."

"Compliment accepted. And I return the compliment back to you Doctor Lewis."

The Doctor chuckled, "Please, no Doctor tonight…especially tonight."

"I was just teasing you Lauren." Bo said with amusement. She then slightly leaned over to the woman "But I may actually need one if my heart rate suddenly and abnormally increases tonight…"

This made Lauren blush instantly, but she managed to find a reply to the remark, "Well, then you'll know there will be one not too far from you."

"Then, stay close. The closer the better." Bo winked at her dinner companion before opening the menu, but her gaze was kept on Lauren just for the satisfaction of seeing her reaction. And she was not disappointed as Lauren tried to bury her face in the menu. Bo thought it was funny and cute at the same time.

"I hope you like it so far. Oh and the food, it's like a travel around the world experience."

Indeed, the menu was exceptional. Each plate was inspired by a different country and continent. Lauren subtlety looked up to catch Bo grinning from ear to ear. She was more than glad to be sitting here, with this woman, for this special occasion.

After dinner, they decided to take a little stroll along the port to help with digestion, especially after an Around the World meal like the one they had, and to continue chatting about their fondest childhood memories, their passions, and their work. At some occasions, Lauren would laugh at Bo's unbelievable stories and awkward situations in which only Bo and her partner in crime, Kenzi, knew best how to find themselves stuck in. Other times, Bo would laugh at Lauren's geekiness when the doctor let herself carried away by her passion and turned every simple thing to complex science.

Lauren could not get enough of Bo's laughs.

Bo wished the evening with Lauren would never end.

Arriving at the marina, they stopped to have a better look at the moon, which seemed to have been waiting for them, as if it had Rendezvous with the pair. They took a moment to deeply breathe in the fresh air.

Bo turned to Lauren, "Thank you for this wonderful evening Miss Lewis."

Lauren turned to face Bo, "I'm the one who needed to thank you, Miss Dennis, for bringing me out of my shell, because otherwise I would not have met someone so…understanding, so wonderful."

Bo's face lit up at the compliments. "That someone must be very…special."

The moon had put stars in Bo's eyes. Lauren did not want to take her own eyes away from those stars.

"Yes…she is, so wonderfully special. I hope she knows."

Bo could not stop smiling. _I soooo want to kiss her, under the moon, this moon, in this moment. This would be such a perfect movie scene, for the romantic heart anyway. But I'm not the romantic kind. I do want to kiss her though…very badly. Stop it Bo! As Kenzi suggested, you should have no expectation whatsoever for tonight. I'm nervous. Why is THIS woman making me nervous? I'm never nerv…_

Before Bo finished the sentence in her head, a pair of soft and warm lips gently pressed against hers. A hand, just as soft and warm, moved down her face. Bo's hand joined Lauren's as she leaned closer to the doctor to better receive the kiss. Slightly intoxicated by Lauren' scent of jasmine, strawberry and sandalwood, she shut her eyes to truly feel the kiss and, just like a good remedy, it cured all the anxieties that had plagued her mind seconds ago.

Although their bodies were exchanging static electricity, this kiss was different from the first one they had shared; softer, seeking, as though they were both discovering something altogether new.

When Lauren regretfully pulled away, she searched Bo's face, watching as the wonderfully special woman returned from the sensual place where the kiss had taken her.

Bo took a moment to regain her senses. "If there was any doubt earlier, I can tell you she does know." It was Bo's turn to search Lauren's eyes. "Lauren, you take my breath away."

Lauren couldn't find the right words to describe how lucky and amazed she felt tonight, even more at this moment. She smiled at the woman who instigated all this. Bo's hand still in hers, she brought it to her lips and kissed the lean fingers, only to notice they were mildly cold. She wished her simple touch could keep them warm, but alas. "I think you are getting cold. Let's go back, shall we?"

Bo nodded with a forced smile; feeling disappointed that this intimate moment was cut short.

The ride back to Bo's place was strangely quiet. Both women were lost in their thoughts, and their feelings, about the other woman.

Occasionally, Bo would steal glances at Lauren. But this time, she forgot to look away. In fact, she was unable to as her eyes gazed upon her driver's perfectly wavy silky hair. Then, following the vector of a loose strand, her eyes rested on the strong jawline. Suddenly, from deep within her core, she felt her basic physical needs silently screaming at the view of this woman. A profound sexual urge rose fast to the surface. Too fast. Her heartbeat followed.

When Lauren turned to smile at Bo, it did nothing to calm her down; it only freaked Bo out even more for being caught staring at the object of her desire with such appetite. Bo quickly looked away, kept her eyes straight ahead, trying to hide this nervous and frustrated feeling that had heated up her veins.

Bo didn't really mean it when she said she might need a doctor to check in on her or her heart rate, in any special circumstance. She had had been in similar state of desire many, many times before, but not once had she felt it was a problem.

Bo sank deeper into the car seat with a dried throat and sweaty hands. A rush of sweat even flowed all over her body. Her heart had turned into panic mode. She needed a doctor, now, as she fought the urge of pinning Lauren into the driver seat, burying her face into the doctor's neck and sinking her teeth in onto those strong jaws.

"Here we are."

Lauren's voice brought Bo back to reality, out of her unwanted euphoric state of mind and, well, her dirty thoughts. On the last stretch of the ride, she had turned herself to a human stone and was so focus on putting on her best poker face to hide her internal freakout that she hadn't seen they had arrived at the Crack Shack.

_Saved by the bell_!

"Saved from what?" Lauren turned to ask.

_Did I just say that out loud?_ "Uhhh…from…releasing myself in your car, I need to pee…real bad." _Urgh Bo! Couldn't you find anything better to say than this!? _Bo felt briefly stupid at that moment.

Lauren chuckled at the response. "Indeed, good timing." She opened the door and got out of the car. She went around and opened up the door on the passenger's side. Lauren held her hand out to Bo to help her out of the car.

"Oh, what a nice gesture Dr. Lewis. We don't see that kind of chivalry anymore these days." Bo hesitantly took the hand; she had wanted to avoid any physical contact with Lauren for the rest of the night, fearing it would trigger another urge.

Lauren walked Bo to her door. They stood there for a moment, looking at each other, sharing a smile. "Thank you for the wonderful evening." Lauren said before leaning in for a kiss. A tender and soft kiss she put on Bo's lips.

Bo closed her eyes. The feeling of Lauren's lips against hers made something melt inside her. Something not many of her previous sex partners or encounters had achieved. Not many, maybe none…actually, just none of them. But in this moment, fire was burning and chills ran over her skin. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lauren contemplating her with big hazel eyes and sweet smile.

"Good night Bo."

Bo felt her heart rate increase again. _Fuck! _She felt it in her core. Images of her jumping on Lauren in the car were back in her mind. Before she did anything she might regret, she swiftly said "Good night Lauren." then nervously searched for her keys. Panic mode was full on now; the kiss, the smile, the chills, the burning fire, the images, it was becoming too much for Bo. She opened the Clubhouse door and, without even looking back up at Lauren, to avoid any other possible eye contact, closed it behind her.

Bo leaned against the door. Breathing heavily, she brought her hand to her chest and pressed it, almost as a reflex, to check if her heart hadn't just exploded. It had taken all her will power to do it, but she amazed herself she was even capable to contain her urges and have such self-control until now.

Bo desperately tried to move her pulse rate back to normal digits. She hadn't given the beautiful physician the chance to play doctor tonight and examine her at all. Everything would had had gotten worst, and would totally had had the opposite effect of what was intended. Literally speaking.

Lauren stood there, at the door, outside, for another moment. Thinking, wishing Bo hadn't abruptly cut the moment so short, as she was starting to become very comfortable with her. She finally turned and walked back to her car. Once in the car, she stared at Bo's window, the kitchen window, the only one facing the front side of the house on the first floor. She was hoping to catch a glimpse of Bo, or even just Bo's shadow.

Lauren had pleasantly observed Bo all night and noticed every single time Bo had blushed. The woman had gone from a delighted and glowing state to flushed and flustered. What Bo probably didn't know was that Lauren had felt the same; flustered and nervous at time. But early on in her career, she had learned to control her emotions and her facial expressions. Her time spent at the hospital had made her better at putting on poker face, for the sake of all patients.

She would be lying if she said she didn't want to kiss Bo every single time her cheeks turned pink or at every single laugh she made. Everything she did or didn't do, made her so cute and adorable. Tonight Bo was miles and years away from the confident, assertive and intimidating woman she had met in the exam room weeks before. The woman who had made such effect on her that day had shown even more sensitivity and seemingly real emotions. Lauren liked Bo even more and was drawn to her even more. What surprised Lauren was to see that she, herself, could have such effect on someone too.

The woman was attractive as always. Lauren noticed all the heads turning toward Bo when she entered one place. And Lauren felt lucky to be the one with her.

The only thing she regretted tonight though was that she had overly practiced self-preservation. And here she was, in her car, wondering what it could have been.

Bo had managed to regain her normal state. She knew it was the best thing to do and restrain herself when it came to Lauren. She didn't want to scare her off again. She had promised to take baby steps and she was determined to do so and be firmed about it, on herself anyway.

However, as she hadn't heard the car engine start or the vehicle leave, she walked to her kitchen window and took a peek at where Lauren's car was parked earlier. To Bo's surprise, it hadn't moved a foot. It was then that without giving it a second thought, Bo ran to her door. An unwanted excitement took over her. All of the effort she had made in the hours leading up to this moment didn't matter anymore. She might regret it later, but she was doing it. That was it.

She slammed the door open and was about to rush outside to Lauren's car in the hope to stop her on time and keep her from leaving, but her move was stopped abruptly. Bo's eyes widened. She caught her breath and froze right in the doorway.

Lauren was right there, standing on the doorstep. She was just as startled as Bo, to see her open the door in that exact moment, when she was about to knock. A long moment of intense eye contact followed. Then, Lauren finally managed to gather herself and broke the silence "I…"

That was the only word Lauren was able to pronounce before Bo grabbed her by the hand and pulled her inside, then, gently closed the door behind them. Still holding Lauren's hand, Bo made sure to keep a certain distance between them, inches, just so their bodies wouldn't touch. Despite what had been in her mind and in her heart, Bo wanted to leave Lauren some room to react and some time to response.

A moment of gazing at each other in silence went by. Their breathing was the only thing that could be heard.

"It's time." Lauren said in a murmur.

"It's time?" Bo asked in the same murmur, a little uncertain.

"It's time I try to live in the moment…in this moment, with you."

Lauren had accepted her weakness. She had accepted the fact that she could not control her feelings and everything that came with them. She wanted to appreciate life as it came along.

"Yeah?" Bo wanted to confirm.

"Yes,"

Bo smiled and gazed at Lauren with doe eyes. She moved to close the gap between them, tangled her fingers in Lauren's and said "It's all I wanted to hear you say." Then, she leaned in to brush her lips against Lauren's. They moved to brush the soft skin of her cheeks before finding their way to her neck, causing the other woman to let out a low moan. There, Bo inhaled Lauren's sweet scent for a while, who had already semi closed her eyes, letting her body completely feel the heat coming from Bo, her warmth onto her skin.

Bo went back up to Lauren's lips. She kissed them gently, softly. She was communicating without words, demonstrating her patience, her capacity to listen, her sensitivity and her understanding; all human qualities unbeknown, until now, to Bo herself. Then, feeling the positive response from the other woman, as her breath had deepened and became irregular, she smoothly slid her tongue in the inviting mouth, through the soft parted lips.

Lauren felt her heart beating faster and faster as Bo's hand released hers and moved up to rest on her hip while the other one went around her to put a small pressure on her back, bringing Lauren even closer to Bo, and deepen the kiss. Their tongues tangled and tangoed together. Lauren wrapped her arms around Bo as her desire began to race through her like wildfire. A fire the host had started, and she could not deny only Bo could put it out.

Now fully aroused, her sexual instinct had Bo's hand moved to get under the Doctor's shirt as her body pushed her guest against the wall and her other hand sliding down Lauren's waist, looking to undo a few buttons from her dress pants. She wanted to take over Lauren's body and soul, completely, right here in the lobby, right now.

Realizing what she was doing and what she was about to do, Bo suddenly broke away from the kiss. Short of breath, she looked Lauren in the eye.

"Wha…what's wrong?" a panting Lauren asked with batting eyes.

With a small smile on her face, Bo pulled her lips away and gently stroked the other woman's lower lip with her thumb, her eyes full of longing on Lauren's craving mouth. Bo moved her gaze back into her dilated pupils and said in a whisper "You deserve better than this, Lauren".

Breaking away from the embrace, with a reassuring smile but no less purposeful one, she took Lauren by the hand and led her up the stairs, to her bedroom.

The smell of jasmine oil brought an extra aura of intimacy and seclusion. In this smell of sensuality, their eyes locked into each other. They had moved to the middle of the room, lighted with the only two warm-colors nightstand lamps on each side of the bed. Bo brushed Lauren's bottom lip again with her thumb, before cupping her cheek and rubbing it lightly, freeing enough room for her lips to join Lauren's. And she kissed her, deeply, passionately.

Lauren abandoned herself to the kiss and to the touch. She easily surrendered as her body began to burn with a slow insidious fire.

Bo left the luscious lips and trailed her kisses on Lauren's neck, her shoulders and back on her lips. Her hand, anxious to feel Lauren's body, got under the blouse again and caressed every inch of skin it was allowed to. But she wanted more, more of Lauren. She took a small step away and looked for a sign from Lauren to tell her she could go ahead. But it needed no discernable sign, as the glitter in her eyes said it all.

Bo was already undressing Lauren with her eyes when she started to lift the bottom of the other woman's blouse. She stopped at the belly button level and went in for a kiss before slowly, and steadily pulling it up over Lauren's head. Bo wanted to take her sweet time in this process as she knew it would color the entire experience that followed. She let the piece of clothes slide off her hand then pulled Lauren in for a smooch. She made her way to her neck and bit it lightly, while her hand made its way inside Lauren's bra. Bo gently caressed her breast and, with her thumb, her hard nipple. This made Lauren suck in a breath. In return, it made Bo even more aroused. More self-control was required when she unhooked Lauren's bra and slowly took it off.

In awe of the natural beauty before her, Bo had stopped all movements and moved a little away to contemplate it properly.

Lauren bit her bottom lip and softly, she said "Let me take your clothes off."

And piece by piece, they stripped each other from all items of clothing and any fabric material of all kind. There, in the middle of the room, their gaze roamed over each other body, their sight lingering upon each curves; chin, shoulder, breasts, waist, hips.

"My God, you're beautiful." Lauren sighed.

"I, uh, I kind of have that effect on people…But you are a gorgeous human as well."

Lauren made the next move and closed any existing gap between them. Her skins against Bo, Lauren merged with her as their bodies moulded into each other. Then, she vigorously kissed the woman of her daydreams. The woman she fancied and longed for. When their bodies found the big queen size bed, their libido had already reached the ultimate level of eagerness, flirting with agony. Antsy, Lauren pushed Bo on the bed and covered her with her desperate desire. Her eyes were saying she was beyond hungry for the Brunette.

Despite Bo's small attempt to protest, she was more than willing to oblige. Veracious kisses followed and then, Bo rolled both of them over so she could be on top and give Lauren what she had been yearning and aching for.

In that moment, Bo had never wanted a human being more. She also never had wanted to give more of herself as much. Consuming kisses she gave and the promise of what was to come.

For years, Lauren had been in tight control of all aspects of her life; her work, her health, her spiritual, her intellectual, her social. But tonight, she wanted to let go of her physical, and especially her emotional.

That was exactly what she did when a tantalizing tongue covered her taut aching nipples and swept across them with wet lashes, she did not swallow her moan of lust. Pleasure of the purest kind escaped her lips when Bo rolled the engorged buds in between her teeth and tongue. Then, Bo's tongue traced a path down Lauren's body until it reached the soft tender flesh of her thighs. Sweet kisses she felt on the erogenous areas of her legs, widely spread for Bo. Lauren lifted her head and looked down between her thighs, desperately searching for Bo's eyes as her anticipation grew, even more so when she felt her breasts cradled in soft palms.

Bo's gaze found Lauren's and she kept it on hers when her warm and fleshy muscular organ licked the place Lauren was the most slick with need. A low murmur of satisfaction was heard as Lauren's head fell back on the pillow. The tongue teased it a little more, up and down, before it knocked the once forbidden entrance and gently slipped inside the delicate damp petal folds.

"Oh…" Lauren breathed, almost as she didn't expect it, while Bo hummed at the taste of the helplessly drenched nectar.

Bo moved her attention to the center of Lauren's sexual pleasure and again, teased it, then cupped the mons while pressing it down gently to expose the sensitive top to the tip of her tongue. As she began to stimulate the tissue covering the bundle of nerves, all she could think of was to give this precious woman everything she had.

All the while, tiny quivers began to erupt inside Lauren. Her hands stroking Bo's hair, her breathing harder and heavier, she was lost in a maelstrom of sensations.

Bo loved what she was seeing, hearing, and tasting. But she was still insatiable, she wanted to give more to Lauren, and feel more of Lauren. She freed one of her hands from Lauren's breast, only to slide two fingers inside her. Lauren's back arched as she accepted Bo deep inside her. Pleasure knifed through her and she gave herself up to the skillful caress of Bo's fingers within her slick walls with every thrust.

She couldn't catch her breath; Bo was about to drive her to the point of orgasm. She filled her so completely, Lauren was dizzy with pleasure.

Bo had looked up, saw her beautiful Blonde had squeezed her eyes shut and was ready to explode. Sinking her fingers into Bo's shoulders, Lauren's moans became louder and louder. Bo growled at the sight the woman's body arching once more and finally, Lauren cried out her release, which sounded like a love song to Bo's ears.

"Mmm…ohhh…Bohhh". She began to ripple on the bed like waves on the sea.

The majestic spectacle happening before Bo's admiring eyes was so breathtaking she felt her heart couldn't take it anymore, but she didn't want it to end.

Lauren was still quivering when Bo began raining kisses on her thighs, down her belly, her breasts, and her chin before sipping at her lips.

"Thank you." Lauren muttered, still panting.

Bo smiled and gazed at Lauren. "The pleasure is all mine".

Both women chuckled and shared a long passionate kiss before melting into each other's embrace.

Lauren had given herself a shot at happiness by abandoning herself to the moment. She liked the feeling and she loved the result. She had only known Bo for a short period of time, but this wonderfully special woman had already changed parts of her.

In ten, twenty, thirty years from now, she didn't want to have to regret letting life passed her by and missing out on the greatest things. Every day from now on, she would let Bo bring in changes and new possibilities to her existence.

It was the greatest sensation, something that went beyond simple sexual pleasure. There was an emotional bond Bo had never experienced before.

She had made love for the first time.

No matter what tomorrow would bring, nobody would take this away from her. For the time being, she just wanted to float on a cloud with Lauren and fall asleep in her arms.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you for sticking with me and the story. ****Thanks for the reviews and please keep writing them.**

**All errors are mine.**

**xo**

**XXXXX**

Timid ray of sunshine emerged under the heavy drapes and fell gently and warmly on Lauren's face as she slept. Leaning on her elbow, her head resting on her hand, Bo had just the perfect angle to contemplate Lauren tenderly blossoming like wildflowers as she slowly woke up from her sweet dream. Her fingers entwined with Lauren's, she lowered in to give the lovely woman a kiss on her shoulder and inhaled her sweet and comforting scent.

"Mmmm" Lauren hummed at the feel of the lips on her skin as she opened her eyes. She gave Bo a soft, sleepy look and smiled, "Good morning."

"Morning sunshine. You slept well?"

"Like a baby."

Bo smiled wider, "I like watching you, sleeping like a baby."

"Should I mention that it sounds a little creepy…for a first night?" A teasing smile appeared on Lauren's still sleepy face.

"Say what you want, I would have still watched you. You looked so peaceful." Bo smiled, then on a softer tone said, "It was wonderful last night."

"It was. It truly was. I haven't felt that way in a very long time. Actually, I don't think I've ever felt anything…that sensational and…delightful …in every possible way."

"I'm happy to hear that." Still joined with hers, Bo laid a kiss on the back of Lauren's hand. What they had shared was electrifying and yet, soul-stirring and heartwarming. Bo didn't think it was even possible to feel all these strong sensations and deep emotions at the same time either.

Lauren looked at their joined hands as if she was studying every joints and folds of their merged fingers. "You know, for the most part of my life, I took care of others and often…forgot about myself. I cared for my mother. I cared for every single person who came into my life, close to me or not. Now, I care for all my patients, they occupy my days and my nights. I try to help the best I can." She turned her gaze to Bo, "It's good to feel that I am being taken care of for once, just like last night. Just like now."

Bo laid another kiss on Lauren's hand. "If you let me, I'd take care of you." The words were said spontaneously as Bo tightened her grip on their interlocked fingers. Without a doubt, they sounded so foreign to Bo herself, but yet, felt so true and honest.

Lauren smiled in return. "With the hectic life I chose to live, it would be a great challenge for you."

"I'm up for any challenge." Bo said with a little excitement in her voice.

Thoughtful, Lauren seemed to be considering this heartfelt proposal. She wanted to believe it. Bo's willingness may sound typical and vanilla from a partner on a first night together, but it was more than anyone had ever offered her.

She kissed Bo's hand and forcefully said, "I should get going." She slowly pulled the dark cherry red satin sheet off of her when Bo, still holding the doctor's hand, stopped her in her motion.

"Lauren…stay." The request she just made surprised Bo as she said it. But it was what she wanted. "Stay for a few more minutes...please."

To which Lauren smiled and pulled the covers back up. She went back to snuggle in Bo's warm embrace with a tinge of happiness in her heart.

**xxxxx**

"I miss her already."

Raising her eyebrows at her friend, Kenzi did not try to hide that she found this a little silly, "Ummm dude, she left like 20 minutes ago!"

"I know right! Isn't it crazy?"

"Bo, I do realize it's an uncommon thing for you, but..."

"It was…intense last night."

"Oh _that_! I believe you! Uh huh…I heard E-ve-ry-thing!...and they weren't baby steps!" Kenzi said furrowing her brow as she poured more Baileys and whiskey in her coffee.

Bo barely heard what Kenzi had said; she had already gazed off into her memories of the previous night and this morning. How physically and emotionally intense it was.

"Hmmm, Bo…the eggs are burning!"

"Oh!"

Kenzi watched as Bo hurried to remove the pan of scrambled eggs from the heat and turn every knob to off. They had conveniently taken the day off, which gave them the opportunity to chat during this late brunch again.

"I mean…I felt something so special, so deep…so real. I may actually have…serious feelings for her. Could that be?"

"The fact that you didn't kick her out of your bed or of the apartment, or pretend to have an emergency you needed to take care of at the pub at 9 am, or say that your best friend was too drunk to find her way home and you needed to leave and go pick her up at some random place…oh…actually, that had happened a couple of times, never mind! Anyway, it's a great indication that you may actually had…fallen for her…I'm afraid."

"I may have." She smiled. Then a hint of confusion appeared on Bo's face as her brain tried to process all these new things her heart had been feeling.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you found your soulmate but…"

Bo cut her off, "I know." She set the plates on the counter while thinking about her situation. "But there's always this…investigation." She made a big plate of eggs, sausages and toasts for Kenzi and a normal one for herself. As she was about to take her first bite, her mood changed one more time. "I don't want to hurt Lauren, but I can't abort my plans either. So, this is why I can never tell her. She can never find out Kenzi. Ever!" Bo said in what sounded like a plea. She had suddenly lost her appetite. "I can't hurt her. She can't find out." Bo whispered to herself.

"Bo, you can count on me. I won't say a word, even if they pay me to go on a food tour of the best restaurants in the city. Your secret is safe with me, but…how long would you go on living this…double life?" Kenzi asked with her mouth full.

"I didn't want to rush things with Lauren, but it happened and I don't regret anything. Anything at all. And I hope one day I could fully and completely…live the whole thing, my feelings for her." Bo's eyes had just started to glow but rapidly turned dark. "However, as much as I want this thing with the Thornwood to be over, I can't rush it and risk ruining my covers. This is the only way to find the truth, so I have to be patient."

"How many other dinners with Rainer will you have to have after the one tonight?"

"As many as I would need to, and as many late-night-after-dinners he would want to. The good news is I'm getting somewhere. Tonight I'll get to know his brother Dyson a little more. Next time hopefully, his dad. Jack Thornwood is the guy I want to get close to. He's the man I need to investigate further on and for that, I need to win their trust. Tonight I'll focus on Dyson and see if he can be of use."

"Well, you have a huge task on your shoulders. Let me know if you need me."

"I will need your help for sure." Bo went back into her deep thoughts. "I want to enjoy Lauren's presence. I want to…freely be with her…and nobody else. I really don't like this double life situation, really. I wish I didn't have to do any of this." Bo looked up into her friend's eyes. "I'm glad I have you Kenz, in both lives. Thank you for being here."

"I know Bobo." Kenzi replied as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Now eat!"

**xxxxx**

Lauren had made the last confirmation phone call. Everything was now set and ready.

Aside from working at the hospital, Lauren had been investing her time as a clinician in the research dedicated to advancing Cystic Fibrosis therapies. She had worked in the therapeutics lab, but also took part in clinical trials. Still, she wanted to do more. Last year she had accepted an offer of an opportunity to do more but in a different way. Reluctant at first, she was now happy with the decisions she had made to go forward with this little project, and to do it again this year.

If on a personal level her life had been uneventful the last few years, and lacking of any reason for excitement, this was one project she had held dear and had been proud of.

With a stemless wine glass in her hand, she leaned back in her armchair feeling more satisfied and happy than ever. Everything felt right. Everything seemed to be going the way she had only dare to wish for. It took her some time, it took her years, but she was finally there, where she deserved to be.

Lauren wanted to share this state of mind and this feeling with Bo. She wanted Bo to be part of this. And she didn't want to wait any longer.

**xxxxx**

Bo had let Rainer pick her up at the Crack Shack this time, but she had nicely let him know she didn't like anyone showing up at her place unannounced, and had asked him to respect that. That being said, she would have to ask Lauren to do the same.

She normally couldn't care less. In fact, she would have loved to have Lauren show up at her door steps announced any day, every day. But this precaution would avoid having her two _lovers _to accidentally cross path.

"I'm glad you came." Rainer said, offering his arm for Bo to hang on to as they walked up to the restaurant door after leaving his car keys to the Valet.

"Why wouldn't I?" Bo asked with the flirtiest smile.

"Well, I can completely imagine a pretty and smart woman like you to be very busy doing what you are doing. But I have to say…tonight, I wanted Dyson to get to know you a little better. Also, I just couldn't wait to see you again."

They entered the very fancy restaurant; one of those Bo would think she would only see in classic movies. The decor and atmosphere fitted the patrons and diners, who looked way too formal and uptight for Bo to feel comfortable around them. It made her realize that she would have to get used to this, unfortunately. It was a good thing she had chosen to wear her short black dress; otherwise she would have felt under-dressed. With his cotton city fit blazer and pants, and particularly his manners, Rainer looked like the perfect cavalier for Bo tonight.

The 19th century building had certainly seen many transformations done to it over the years. The revamped restaurant was big and part of it was spread over two floors. Bo and Rainer took the stairs up to the second floor to find their table in a VIP section where Dyson and his date were already seated, waiting for them. Bo glimpsed at Dyson, who looked just as handsome as she remembered him from the golf tournament day, but noticed the blond woman sitting next to him had changed her facial expression when she saw Bo and Rainer arriving at the table. She seemed to be annoyed that they were interrupting her alone time with the older brother.

"Bo, you remember Dyson?" Rainer asked pointing to the man in navy sport jacket check.

"Of course I do." Bo said, sending him a smile.

Dyson nodded in return.

"And this is Tamsin…Dyson's…friend."

"Well, we're very close...friends." The woman said proudly, obviously trying to send a message.

Bo noticed Tamsin was also dressed to impress her male companion with a very short red dress. It fitted her well though, Bo thought.

Bo sat next to Rainer but happened to be right in front of Tamsin, who didn't seem to share any enthusiasm at all for this double date dinner.

"I see you two have been seeing each other a lot since the tournament." Dyson commented as he opened the drink menu, but barely paying attention to the menu.

There was something in the remark Bo didn't like. No much for what was said, but in the way it was said. The tone made it sound almost like a reproach.

"Actually no, I wished there were more though. But it doesn't matter how many times; it was love at first sight…from my part anyway, I can't speak for the lady…" Rainer turned to gaze at Bo.

Bo went along and played the game of the new girlfriend in awe with her beau. She tried to make conversation with Tamsin as well, showing interest in the brothers' lives and their so called friend. But she couldn't wait to get into the serious matter.

"So how long have you been working for the firm Dyson?" Bo asked after taking a bite at her lamb chop.

"It's been just over 15 years now. I started my career there, just like Rainer did when he joined a few years later."

"Wow, you have been around for quite a while! In your opinion it's a good place to work at?"

"Well our dad co-founded it over twenty five years ago, so I'd say yes. It's the best place to work at if you are a driven person with high ambitions. And the best asset management company to bring your money to."

_Urg, this guy is way too arrogant. I don't think I would want to see him again if I had a choice. But okay, let's play for real and dig deeper._ "So there's never been any issue at the company, with people or…with money?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well every big company has its secrets, just like any successful family. I've read about many accounting scandals happening in financial firms and frauds committed by their top executives. Morpheus has never had any problem with the Securities and Exchange Commission?" Bo could see her statement and her question took the brothers aback, but she was impatiently waiting for the answer they would be giving her.

"No. Our father had always surrounded himself with people he trusts. He would never let anything or anybody taint the company he worked so hard to build and maintain." Dyson became slightly impatient and annoyed with the woman who seemed to be having too much interest in the company.

"Dyson, didn't Morpheus have had a bunch of audits done in one year, a while back?"

"That was two decades ago, at the start of the company. But there was nothing fraudulent with how it was run and managed. It's normal for a young company to experience some financial problems along the way, before gaining success."

"And...Is it also normal that the same year, other tragedies stroked the firm? Like the death of one of its V-Ps and his pregnant wife?" It was Bo's turn to become irritated.

A long silence followed. All three were staring at Bo, speechless.

"I…I never heard about that. Bo, you seem to know a lot about Morpheus..." Rainer managed to say.

"I uh…read that somewhere." Realizing she got carried away and may have said too much tonight, Bo tried to calm herself down and needed to find something credible to say. "I've always got a keen interest in finance and business, so…I read a lot about it, even if I'm not working in the field." She cleared her throat before taking a sip from her wine glass.

"Okay…this is no fun subject. Why don't we talk about the next party your family will be throwing?"

"It's not a party Tamsin." Dyson corrected, still a little bothered by Bo's comments and questions.

"Well, fancy food and fancy drinks in a fancy place with fancy people, for me it's a fancy party." Tamsin said with a small laugh.

Bo couldn't focus on the conversation anymore. She was still upset. Although, she knew she blew her plan. If she had wanted to gain Dyson thrust tonight, she failed. Big time.

She remained mostly quiet for the rest of the dinner, chugging glasses and glasses of wine. The huge amount of wine was necessary tonight, to help her get in the mood for what was going to happen next, once they got to his place.

**xxxxx**

The next morning was rough. Not so much because of the alcohol, but because of all the negative emotions she had felt the previous night. All night. From the restaurant to Rainer's bed, there had not been one moment she was satisfied about.

Bo stayed at Rainer's place longer than she had wanted. She had to admit that he was a sweet man especially when compared to Dyson. But he was still a Thornwood and they must all be the same deep down if she ever scratched the surface a little more. She had just seen bits of Dyson last night, but there were certainly more to see beside his somehow territorial behavior when it came to the family business and his extreme loyalty and devotion to their father.

Regardless of how much of a gentleman Rainer was with her, she couldn't wait to get back to her own place. She got up, showered with him and got changed into the clothes she had brought along with her last night as she knew they were coming back to his place. They had breakfast then called a cab to get them to the Dal. Bo had asked to be dropped there as she wanted to see Trick for a moment and this time was perfect since the pub was not too busy at this hour of the day. She had not seen him a few days already and missed her grandfather.

Rainer had left his car at the restaurant the previous night given that he had also had too many drinks. He came along so he could pick up his car after dropping Bo off. When Bo stepped out of the taxi, Rainer got out too and went around the vehicle to take Bo in an embrace.

"Hey, sorry again for last night, if my brother didn't make a good impression on you. He's really…protective of his family and friends and only wanted to get to know the woman I'm seeing a little better. And he normally has an unlimited patience, but yesterday I don't know what got into him, for him to have a…short fuse like that."

"It's okay, don't worry. I may have provoked him too with my incessant questions about the company. I hope it didn't bother you."

"No, nothing you would do will ever bother me." Rainer tightened his hand around Bo's waist and placed the other on the back of her head, then pulled her in for a kiss.

Long seconds had passed when she finally pulled away. She smiled at him and said "The taxi is still waiting for you."

"Yeah, uh, before I let you go, can you make sure you save next Saturday for me? There is an important event my family is planning. It was what Tamsin called a fancy party." He smiled, "I want you to come, and you will meet the rest of my family. You'll finally meet my dad…you know, the guy behind Morpheus Capital Management, the firm we talked about all night yesterday." Rainer smirked and winked to tease her and remind her of the awkward situation in which she was with Dyson. He didn't wait for Bo to give him an answer and disappeared in the cab, but not before shouting, "I'll call you".

Bo waved and sighed heavily as she watched them drove away.

When she entered the pub, it was quiet as expected. The few customers were either having a coffee or looking at their menu, trying to decide on their late breakfast options.

Trick appeared from the back of the pub. "Bo, so glad to see you!" The old man greeted his grand-daughter.

"Hi grandpa! I'm happy to see you too." Bo took a seat at the bar. "I know I said I would try to see you more often, but I've been busy lately."

"I can see that." Trick pointed to the doors. "Who was the young man outside with you."

_Oh shit_. "Uh…it was an old friend I haven't seen in a long time. I ran into him last night and…crashed at his place." Bo replied, realizing she hadn't thought everything and every detail through. She needed to work on that.

Trick smiled and shook his head, "Oh Bo!...So you."

Bo sighed, "You know me too well."

"Before you tell me about your week, you want a coffee?"

"Yes please!"

"Alright, give me a few minutes, I have to get some from the back and make more. I just realized we ran out of coffee." Trick left shaking his head again at himself this time.

"No rush. Thanks."

She took out her phone and dialed Lauren's number. She missed the woman. She had missed the woman's gaze, the woman's touch, since they parted the previous morning. Strangely agitated, Bo waited to hear Lauren's voice on the other end of the line. But she got no answer. The call went to the doctor's voicemail.

"Lauren…it's me. I guess you're busy. Uhm…you know what? I...I already miss you." Bo smiled at the thought of how silly it sounded, "Yeah...so...Call me back…bye."

She sighed and looked at her phone. Disappointed, she put the phone back in her pocket and decided she would try again tonight if she didn't hear from her. Only Lauren could bring some good to her heart right now. She really wanted to see Lauren. She needed to be with Lauren.

**xxxxx**

The phone had rung. She had wanted it to stop, badly. She had let it rung until it finally stopped.

She received a message. She stared at her bag, where the phone was, on the passenger seat. The message was definitely from her, she knew it, but she was still so sick to her stomach. Tears in her eyes, she couldn't shake off the images.

Lauren had gone there in the hope to see her, knowing she had taken the day off. She had wanted to casually surprise her. She would have had called her to come join her if she didn't find her there.

But Bo was there, on the sidewalk in front of the pub.

In the arms of another. Lover.

Lauren had seen it with her own eyes. Bo smiled at him, with the mesmerizing smile Lauren knew too well, and then kissed him, whoever it was, deeply.

What Lauren had witnessed had paralyzed her. She had not been able to move even when the man had finally left with the cab.

Bo had seemed so captivated by the feeling of the kiss left by him, she hadn't even seen Lauren, who was standing straight in front of her, merely twenty meters away.

Lauren's heart was aching. Her body was shaking. She felt sick. She had watched Bo enter the pub, then finally managed to gain enough control over her muscles, hers limbs, her body, her mind, to turn around and run to her car, holding the tears that had threatened to cover her eyes.

She had gone there for a reason.

She had wanted to share more of her life with Bo. She had wanted to invite Bo to be a part of her project. She had wanted Bo to be a part of her future. Instead, she got a slap in the face. A punch to the stomach. A stab to her heart.

Sitting in her car, unable to turn the key to start it, Lauren gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white. She hated herself. Her heart still pounding angrily in her chest, she gritted her teeth.

_How could you do this to me!?..._


	13. Chapter 13

**A\N: Hello dear readers,**

**Again, I want to thank all of you for reading and following this story. I also want to thank, very deeply, each one of you who took the time to leave a review or a comment. I read each one of them with such excitement and gratitude. They either surprised me (don't worry, it's in a good way) or made me smile genuinely. I find all this very amazing, to be able to be in touch with you, chapter after chapter.**

**I know the last two chapters were full of emotions (not always in a good way) but I hope I can take you on a couple more roller coaster rides in the upcoming ones.**

**Bonne lecture à tous et à toutes and please review. Thank you!**

**XXXXX**

Dyson arrived at the mansion and parked his car between the charcoal classic Aston Martin DB5 and the ruby red DBS Superleggara, two of his father's favorites. There were a small collection of them; his dad had always been a die-hard fan of this iconic luxury British sports car manufacturer.

Dyson stepped out of his Mercedes-Benz convertible Roadster and looked inside the classic DB5. He remembered his teenage self being hugely excited when he once sat in the driver seat and took the legendary 007's car for a ride around town with Rainer. Only to be grounded by his father when he found out his sons had touched his precious collectible asset. Today though, he could take it anytime, and he had, once or twice.

Walking up to the house entrance, he briefly relived the day they moved into this mansion when his father needed a bigger house to meet his needs: a luxurious man cave, a bigger home office, a larger pool and a vast yard to park and store his car collection and of course, a bigger bathtub and walk-in closet for his wife's shoes and purses to keep her happy. The only thing missing was a view on a lake.

He was greeted at the lobby by the house maid to whom he nodded before walking up the stairs to the wide corridor leading to the small office at the end of the hallway. The main office was located on the main floor but the smaller one overlooked the yard and the cars. It was by far his father's preferred room.

Jack Hades was at the bar cabinet, pouring cognac into a glass. He did not see Dyson standing in the doorway right away as he was enjoying the first sip of his Louis Royer XO. That brand was actually one of the cheapest bottles Jack had in his office bar. It was only when he turned to sit in his comfy, hand-made sheepskin leather armchair that he noticed his oldest son patiently waiting for him to acknowledge his presence.

"Dyson! How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long, I was just watching you savoring your favorite brandy." Dyson responded with a smile and watched his dad walking back to the cabinet to pour another glass and offered it to him. "Thanks." He took a seat at his father's desk and a sip from the glass. "How was your trip?"

"Wonderful!" the man exclaimed as he sat comfortably in his armchair. He slowly crossed his legs, making himself even more comfortable in his own office and he continued, "How else could it be? I was there with whom I needed to be with, where I needed to be, I went to places I needed to go and saw what I needed to see." He smiled and winked at his son, showing all the wrinkles that had really set in during the last decade or so.

Dyson chuckled, "That sounds like the perfect trip."

"How is it going at the office? Your brother didn't gamble and jeopardize the company's reputation, did he?"

Dyson chuckled again, "No, I watched him" he said sarcastically. "Dad, you only left for two weeks by the way. Nothing could have had happened." He took another sip, "Talking about Rainer, he will probably have something to announce you soon." Seeing his dad inquisitive look, he added, "I'll leave that to him to do it himself."

The older man didn't insist. It was probably nothing important. Otherwise Dyson would have had already told him.

Then, Dyson asked the question, "Dad, you remember when you told me about all the difficulties you and uncle Lachlan had with the company at the beginning? I mean, I know about the audits and the Securities and Exchange Commission requests but…was there anything else beside the financial problems during that period?"

There was a moment of silence. Jack sipped on his cognac, then looked up at Dyson and stared at him. "I don't know what you are talking about son. We had problems back then and…we did what we had to do to fix it."

His father's answer did not quite satisfy him. On the contrary, it made Dyson all the more curious. He took a brief moment to carefully choose his words, "I'm talking about things or events you may have…omitted to tell me. Like when the VP…"

"Well, well! Isn't it my favorite stepson paying us a visit?" A voice cut Dyson off.

The stepson turned to the dark hair woman standing at the door. "How are you Evony? I see the two weeks of vacation got you some tan."

"Thank you for noticing Dyson. I worked hard to get this exact tone. And to answer your question, I am the happiest woman right now as I've recently become Mrs. Jack Hades Thornwood and went on the most memorable honeymoon in Monaco." Evony said with her trademark smile. A wicked one. One that always seemed to bear certain malice.

She walked over to her husband, sat on his laps and leaned in to give him a long, long kiss.

Dyson looked away. He didn't need to witness this intimate moment between his dad and his new wife. But it was no surprise Dyson had to see that given it was Evony. She wouldn't even give a damn if the Pope was in the room.

Every gesture the woman did, every word the woman said seemed to have a wicked purpose. Astonishingly, she didn't even try to hide it. Well known for her sarcasm, she had always cleverly communicated her intentions.

And those intentions, Dyson saw them since day one, when Jack introduced her to him and Rainer three years ago. His father had had introduced to them two or three women who were seriously mad about the idea of becoming the new Mrs. Thornwood, but they had all ended up disappointed. His father never kept those women in his life more than a year. It may had been because he needed some challenge. He had found that with Evony. However, Jack had made her wait this long because he wanted her to prove that she wanted him more than his money, and power. But nobody would ever deny that she was in for the money, and power. His father included.

Maybe it was the same vibe he got from his brother's new lady. Her smile, her eyes were telling him something, hiding some sort of malice. She could be the perfect evil in disguise. More perfect, and more evil than his step-mother.

Dyson couldn't let that feeling go. Moreover, the discussion they had at the table the other night only confirmed his suspicions on her real intentions. He had no proof of any bad intention from her part and he couldn't really explain anything either, but she had way to much interest in Morpheus firm. And she was being too insistent in her tone, which he didn't quite like. But asking questions about his family business did not automatically make her questionable. No, it was how intense she became. He felt the answers he gave and the way he responded had roused her rage that almost made her loose self-control. Her cheeks had flushed with ire and her eyes had glowed with, what he could have had sworn, blue lightning toward him.

Dyson was the kind of person who would go straight to the point so he could seal the deal without wasting to much of his time. Thus, he didn't talk much in general if it was to say anything important, but he was very observant. And he had observed her. All night. And he didn't like what he had seen of her, what he had heard from her and how he had felt about her.

However, as much as he distrusted her, that woman had managed to put a doubt in his mind about his family's business. And about his father. Now, he needed to find out about the accuracy and veracity of his father's words, about some specific events.

Dyson got up, cleared his throat to remind his presence to Jack and Evony. "I'll leave you two to enjoy the rest of the day alone. I have to run some errands anyway." He put his empty glass on the desk, "Dad, I'll see you at the office."

As he left the mansion and got into his car, he couldn't shake off the feeling that his father was hiding something from him.

**xxxxx**

The man stood by the window, staring through at the lights of the Spanish founded old city, once captured by the British before being returned on to Spain in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris.

Holding an old-fashioned glass in his hand and a cigar in the other, he contemplated the view. A view he had accustomed himself to the past few years.

He puffed on his cigar, hold the smoke in his mouth longer than he usually did, then blew it out, mixing the smoke with fresh air coming in through the opened window. Then, he took a sip of his rum.

He sighed.

And he remembered.

He remembered he had wanted to do this for over twenty years; be able to blow the smoke of the country's finest cigar and sip at the country's finest rum without the feeling of guilt. A burden he had carried over from his successful career to his semi-retirement. A feeling that had plagued him for twenty-two years. He remembered he had attempted to ignore it, then, to suppress it. It had all failed. He had even tried to escape it by moving to this country, to this city and start a new life eight years ago. The feeling wouldn't leave him.

His action back then, or lack of action thereof thanks to his cowardice, had led to fatal consequences. But instead of repentance, he had accepted the hush-money, in the form of a promotion. Of many promotions. A curse in disguise he had probably deserved, as just when he had thought he could get over these heavy feelings of shame and guilt after all these years, that he could finally turn the page, the past had come catching up on him.

He turned and looked at the laptop sitting on the executive wood desk in cherry cobblestone, displaying the unexpected and unwanted email.

Or maybe, admittedly, it was expected. It should have been.

Then, he turned back to the window, puffed once more on his cigar, blew the smoke, took another sip of his drink, and went back, deep into his reflection.

**xxxxx**

The joke made Kenzi laughed hard, but it didn't seem to have had any effect on Bo at all. Bo hadn't moved an inch since they sat their bum on the couch fifteen minutes ago.

Kenzi turned her eyes away from the TV and looked at her friend. "What's wrong Bo? You have been pretty quiet and...seemed agitated all weekend."

Bo sighed, "It's already Monday night, and I haven't heard from Lauren since…since that morning. I left her a zillion of messages and texts."

"Hmm" Kenzi thought of the best thing to say. She didn't find any. "Maybe she's called and you missed it." She suggested.

"Nope! No missed call. None from Lauren's phone number or from any other unknown number. Nothing."

"Oh." Kenzi took a few seconds to think again and with a serious tone in her voice she said, "Maybe she met Fade…you know, Cupid's evil twin."

"What? Who? What are you talking about?" Bo asked with a confused look on her face.

"Maybe the interest is beginning to fade, that the spark isn't there anymore…and she's ghosting you?" Kenzi explained her theory, all the while, expecting a strong reaction from her friend.

"What! NO!" her hands raised on each side of her face as if it was the biggest non-sense she had heard in her life. "WHO would want to ghost me? Lauren has no reason to do that! That morning she left with the biggest smile on her face. She looked happy and cheerful and…in love!"

"Well…actually Bo, that was YOU! Look, I know it's a big blow to you and your giant succubus ego…but there is no other explanation for her to go radio silence on you like this."

"That's just impossible Kenz! There was something special between us. We had something…we had such…chemistry. I wasn't looking then, but I found her. That night…that night, we found each other." Bo emptied her wine glass in one long swallow. "There is no way I'm going to just pretend nothing happened between us. She's not going to just vanish on me like this. I...I don't get it at all! I need some explanation."

"If you say so Bo. But just so you know I'm not going over there again, look for her and try to talk her into…"

"Talk her into what? Where…over there?" Bo cut her off, and asked a little confused.

"Oh…Uh...you need more wine?" Kenzi got up, realizing she had said too much, and fled to the kitchen.

"Yes. Actually, I'll need the whole bottle."

**xxxxx**

_How could you be so heartless?_

_How can you even live with yourself? Doing this to me?_

_Why?_

_I let down my guard, my walls, and let you in._

_I let you in because you made me want to try to open up after all these years. To open up to YOU. Open up about my sad past as I relived it. I did so in the hope to finally turn the page and start a new chapter…with you._

_With you in it._

_Oh…how foolish have I been?!_

_You were so hard to resist to. I tried hard to. But hard wasn't enough. You had that something, something so powerful you could almost control people's mind and feelings with. You were so good, so convincing. I felt so powerless in your presence, under your bewitching gaze._

_I was stupid, I fell for it.__ I gave in._

_I had no clue. I didn't see what was coming at all._

_I knew I was taking another chance at love, at life. I was aware it was a risk. I was still willing to give it a shot._

_...I did not expect to feel so much pain...so early on._

_I was probably just one of those. One of many others. A toy you desire, acquire, play with, and throw away for the next best thing that comes along. Or, you keep for when you feel like playing with again, when you're bored. Or worse, for when there is no better option?_

_I didn't see who it was from the back. But it was nobody I wanted to see. Tall, athletic built with neck length dark wavy hair. Was he an old flame? Or a secret lover? Or was he just a one night?...Actually, I don't care, I don't want to know._

_But I saw you, so clearly, doing what you did._

_My heart is crushed, and I'm still so sick to my stomach. I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't need any of that. __Words cannot describe how I feel right now._

_I've been hurt before but, in my entire life, nothing compares to what you've done. Nothing._

_And no! I will not tolerate that you continue to make a fool of me. I will stay away from you as far as I can. It won't be easy to get over this, __to forget the special connection, and strong feelings I had developed toward you as it felt so real, so palpable. So hard to believe it wasn't. __But from now on I will focus on my other priorities. It will help. I will go back to my life…my life before you._

_I will turn the page once again. But this time, I will lock the doors to my heart. Forever._

_And you, Bo Dennis, I have nothing else to say to you and want nothing to do with you again._

_EVER._


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you for your time reading this story.**

**It will definitely be a challenge writing two stories at the same time, but I intend to put as much effort and passion in each one of the chapters, for Time In The Mist and this one. However, there will be longer periods between updates, especially for TITM.**

**Enjoy and please review.**

**You guys rock!**

**XXXXX**

"Anything else Ma'am?"

"No that would be it." Lauren paid and thanked the young Barista.

It was a beautiful morning. The sun had been eager to come up and to put a cheerful spell on everybody's face and mind. Even the homeless man stationed in front of the café greeted every customer with a _Good morning_ and a genuine smile. Positive energy and joy transpired all around. This pleasantly affected Lauren's mood, but not for long.

She grabbed her muffin and latte and turned to leave when, as she looked up, she saw the one person she didn't expect to see so soon. The person she had been avoiding for days now.

Bo was outside, on the other side of the street, waiting at the crosswalk for the pedestrian light. Lauren had avoided all the places she could have possibly run into Bo but it was obliviously not enough. Lauren hurried to leave the café so she wouldn't end up face to face with Bo at any point in time. Lucky enough, Bo wasn't looking her way as she was busy reading on her phone. Lauren was then able to turn the corner of the street and avoid the woman.

Lauren wanted to avoid the woman at all cost. She was not in the mood to confront her, nor did she think she needed to. She did not want to waste any more of her time with this woman.

But the damage was done. The sight of Bo had upset Lauren more than she had had imagined, more than she would want to give the woman credit for.

**xxxxx**

"It's too sudden for me to make any sense out of it. I feel like I've lost the one person I've ever wanted to be with, and I don't even know why. Life sucks!" After running some errands for Trick on the other side of town earlier that morning, Bo decided to stay at the Dal and have lunch with Kenzi. She knew she hasn't been such a great company for her friend lately, but she needed to talk about it.

"That's shitty. But you know, maybe it's just better this way. Now you can fully focus on the Thornwood and your revenge plan."

Bo stayed silent. She knew her friend was right, but she could hardly accept that she might have lost Lauren for good, for unknown reasons.

"What plan?" The old man overheard them as he was serving a beer to a customer at the bar.

"Uh…plan for…Bo to get her girl back." Caught off guard, Kenzi quickly answered to Trick. She hated herself for the respond she gave as it was the total opposite from the idea she had in mind and, what she was trying to explain to Bo.

"Oh, something actually developed between you and the charming lady from the other day?" Trick asked with some surprise.

"Yeah…It did…and then, it didn't." Bo answered, playing with her food and tossing her fries around in the plate.

This confused the grandfather a little, to which he replied, "Oh women! They can be quite complicate and hard to read sometimes."

_Indeed_, Bo thought.

**xxxxx**

Bo had been miserable all week. But she had to put her mind and soul into this fancy Thornwood party tonight, which was not a party. But whatever it was, it was fancy. She could barely talk herself into getting ready and go. Even her desire to find the truth had little impact on her level of motivation today. Nothing worked. Her mind just wasn't there, where it should be. The thought of seeing Rainer tonight and not Lauren was all but exciting. She felt she had better things to do, like finding Lauren and have another talk with her. Yes, this time she would be the one reaching out to Lauren and not wait for Lauren to come to her. Then, she remembered what Kenzi had said; maybe it was better she let that go for now and focus on what she needed to be focusing on.

It will be hard, but she had to.

She went for a dark blue lace dress for this formal evening. Even with this simple piece of fabric on, Bo knew she looked dressed to kill. But the thought of killing anyone, even her worst enemy, wasn't on her mind at all tonight. Not tonight.

She applied the last touches of her make-up, lightly swirling the powder on the apples of her cheeks and blending it up into her cheekbones. She looked at herself one last time in the mirror, for one long moment.

She sighed heavily. _C'mon Bo! Just fake that smile and pretend to enjoy the Thornwood's party…and the whole family company. That's all you need to do tonight_.

She turned, went back to the bedroom and picked up her purse and the bag containing everything she needed for the night of sleepover.

**xxxxx**

They arrived at The Palace, another impressive historical building that had undergone a revival to restore its natural beauty. Hung onto Rainer's arm, Bo's eyes were stunt by the massive black and golden doors that opened up on them, even more so when they entered; the interior was adorned with contemporary art déco furnishings reminiscent of the past and the state of the art visuals stimulated her senses. Signs indicated there were several rooms at The Palace, but attendees and guests were led to the Ballroom, where a handful of local media awaited them at the door. Cameramen, journalists, reporters and photographers had been invited to do the coverage for this event.

"Wow!" Bo turned to Rainer and asked, "How big and fancy and…formal is this party?"

"It's…big, indeed. But it's for a good cause." Rainer said and smiled as they walked by some media outlets.

After a few pictures were taken of them by a local magazine, it was then that Bo saw the big banner next to the entrance of the Ballroom.

_Bid for Hope_

_Fundraising event for CF_

_By_

_Thornwood Foundation._

"Oh, it's a fundraising event!" Bo whispered to herself.

When they entered to room, she was once again impressed by everything presented before her eyes. Color tones of creams and platinum blended with aged wood, and the original barrel vaulted ceiling was still alive and intact. The room would hold over eight hundred for a reception style cocktail party, but for the occasion, tables and chairs were set for a gala style event and took a few hundred less. The dance floor sitting in front of the broad stage was left accessible for anyone who wished to get entertained by the band at the end of night to have some more fun after a few drinks.

Manifestly, the Thornwood knew how to impress potential donors and sponsors. However, these inherently contradictory events intended to help people in need or developed any kind of project it may be, doubled as vehicle for the rich and famous to show off their largesse as the auction block to raise money to carry out its mission were yacht excursions, lunch with some of the biggest TV stars and businessmen and intimate power breakfast during the Fashion Week with a branding expert.

All the more ironic, money were thrown onto the few dozen bottles of champagne and fine whiskey stocked behind the open bar, the lobster canapes at the buffet tables and the caviar hors d'oeuvres on silver trays carried by the formally dressed server who just served appetizers to the couple behind Bo.

_With all this must cost, do they even break even? _Bo wondered. But all these grabby factors shouldn't steer Bo away from her purpose for coming here tonight. She came to this event for a specific reason and that reason hadn't manifested itself yet.

Bo kept scanning the crowd for any sign of Jack Thornwood, until she finally caught a glimpse of the famous patriarch.

"Here he is." Rainer said just as the man walked over to meet with them, accompanied by a dark-hair, tall, voluptuous and younger, but above all, mondaine woman at his arm.

"Rainer, what took you so long? I was expecting you to be the first to arrive as this is also your event and accomplishment."

"Sorry Dad, but I had to make some calls before coming. And I didn't do as much for this event as you think." Rainer turned to address to his new Mother-in-law, "Good evening Evony, I heard you two had a memorable honeymoon."

"Rainer, I couldn't dream of wilder moments if I tried." Evony said as she eyed Bo from head to toe.

"Who is this beautiful young lady you brought tonight?" the patriarch asked.

"Dad, this is Bo. And this will not be the only time you will see her because she will be invited to all Thornwood events and functions from now on." Rainer gazed at Bo as he said it.

"Welcome into the Thornwood Bo. May this be the beginning of a long relationship between you and my son."

There was something in Jack's voice that made it sound sarcastic. Jack was well aware his son never kept the same girlfriend for more than a few months at a time. He did not see why this time it would be different, with this woman.

"Have you seen your brother yet?"

"No, but Tamsin would not miss this so they should arrive very soon if they haven't yet." He looked over his father shoulder and saw his uncle. "Here's uncle Lachlan though."

The uncle approached with a flute of champagne in his hand. "Jack, Evony, Rainer and…?"

"Bo." Bo introduced herself to him while the pair of eyes examined her thoroughly.

"This is my first time attending a fundraising event of such a scale. I can't wait to see the result from all the efforts your family have put in to make this happen."

Jack laughed "I like you very much already." Feeling proud of the impact his ways of doing business had on people's perception of his family name.

"If you would all excuse us, I want to take Bo around a little bit before the major activities start."

After getting their drinks and some hors d'oeuvres, Rainer took Bo to the patio, a two tier deck overlooking the lake. Rainer introduced Bo to a few more partners and sponsors before getting back inside.

"Oh, Bo…come this way." Rainer grabbed Bo's hand and led her through a group of attendees, to another small group of ladies and gentlemen. As the two approached them, he said, "I want you to meet the brain and heart behind this fundraising." He then gently touched a woman's arm to get her attention from the group, interrupting the conversation the woman in pale pink dress was having. "Lauren, this is Bo, my special someone I mentioned to you about last time we talked on the phone. Bo, this is Lauren, my sister."

Bo's heart dropped. To the floor. Her breathing had stopped. "S-Sister?..." she finally uttered. She could barely hear the sound of her own voice as her brain had suddenly shut down her senses and any mental process; she felt physically and mentally paralyzed.

"Well, half-sister. It took us years to convince Lauren to accept the truth and to be part of the Thornwood family. It really wasn't easy, but I'm so delighted she finally did two years ago. Lauren kept her late mother's last name, but she's a real Thornwood. It cannot be truer than that!"

Bo swallowed with great difficulty, realizing what just happened; the truth unfolding in front of her, of everybody.

"Lauren?..." Rainer looked at his sister, then at Bo, then back at Lauren. "You two looked shocked. Do you ladies already know each other?"

Indeed, as much as Lauren wanted to keep the sudden emotions inside of her, the aghast look on her face was palpable. "No." she said with a scary coldness in her voice. Clenching her jaws and keeping a cold-eyed stare on the other woman, the champagne flute in her hand almost broke between her fingers. Lauren took a deep breath, then made the necessary effort to regain her composure. "Bo was…" she paused and detached her frosty glare from Bo to turn to Rainer, "…my patient". She turned back to Bo and laboriously forced a smile on her face, "Right?...Miss Dennis?"

Nothing would come out of Bo's mouth; she couldn't make out a sound, even less a word.

"Miss Dennis?" Rainer asked, perplexed.

But Bo didn't even notice. She didn't answer.

"Now, if you would excuse me, I have a speech to give in a few minutes." Lauren said as politely as she could, keeping tight control of her feelings and emotions, and dismissed herself from the couple.

When the doctor was finally out of sight, Bo tried to regain her composure. But her mind was still blurry from the shock. "Uhm, Rainer…I…I need to use the washroom. I'll be back."

In the ladies washroom, Bo looked at herself in the mirror, trying to understand what had just happened to her. The last revelation ruminated in her mind and she couldn't stop it. _How is this possible?_ Even with her make-up on, she could see she still looked terribly pale. She dug in her purse and, with her shaky hand, retrieved a small blush set when the toilet flushed. In the mirror, Bo saw the person coming out from one of the toilet stall. She was startled again; it was Lauren. Bo couldn't breathe properly. She lost all of her senses again, but she decided to turn around to face Lauren.

Lauren hid her shock well. Ignoring the other woman completely, she slowly walked to the sink. Almost as if nothing had happened earlier, she turned the water on and washed her hands.

Bo had followed Lauren with her eyes in silence until she stood just next to Bo. She felt the coldness emanating from Lauren. She felt she had to say something, "Lauren…I can explain - "

"No! Don't." Lauren looked up, but didn't even deign looking at Bo in the mirror. "You do your things and I do mine. We don't have to ever talk to each other again."

Lauren's words sent chills down Bo's spine. Speechless, she watched her once beloved doctor turn away, dry her hands and walk out of the washroom without adding one single word. Bo was on the verge of breaking in tears. That was a lot of emotions. Emotions she was not used to. For once, she didn't know how to deal with the situation she was in.

Bo just wanted to stay here and actually break down, but she couldn't. She took a very deep breath and gathered her stuff and all of her strength so she could return to the crowd of high class people, though with a sad smile on her face.

After Bo left the washroom, Evony came out from the stall at the other end of the room with a wicked grin on her face.

**xxxxx**

Lauren walked up to the stage. Tossing her personal feelings aside, she cleared her throat and started her speech. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Bid for Hope, the second annual fundraising event by Thornwood Foundation for cystic fibrosis, the fatal genetic disease that took my mother away, way too soon. As a doctor, I am honored to be the ambassador of this foundation. Two years ago, when my…father…asked me to be part of this project, I thought it was the greatest idea and biggest opportunity for me to help those affected by the disease on a bigger scale."

"Bo, are you alright?" Rainer asked, he was concerned because Bo hadn't said a word since she came back.

Bo turned to him, smiled and nodded. She quickly turned her attention back to the stage and pretended to be cheerful like everybody else in the Ballroom.

"Everybody can be CF advocates and it starts with your participation in events like this. We may never find a cure for this genetic disorder but your donations, your generosity, will improve the quality of life for people with cystic fibrosis."

Lauren glimpsed at Bo in the crowd and swallowed hard. "When life hasn't been kind to you, you fight until the day you find your lucky star. If that lucky star turns out to be an unlucky star, all you can do is to brush it off and carry on with your journey on this earth. But remember, there will always be hope."

"Rainer, I don't feel good…I really don't feel good. Can you…bring me home?" Bo suddenly felt sick to her stomach. In fact, it was Lauren's last sentences that did that. All this was too much for one night. She couldn't hold herself together anymore, she couldn't pretend anymore. She needed to leave, now.

"O-Okay, wait for me at the entrance, I'll just say a word to my dad."

"Before we officially start with the auction part…" Distracted, Lauren stopped in the middle of her speech and watched Bo leave the room in a hurry. "B-Before we start with the auction, I want to thank…"

Bo was about to exit the building when somebody grabbed her by the arm. She turned to see Dyson glaring at her.

"I know what you are doing Bo."

"W-what?" she uttered in confusion.

"Bo, I'm coming." Rainer yelled over from the other end of the hallway.

Dyson let go of Bo's arm.

"Dyson, you're here! I haven't seen you all night."

"I was in the back, making sure everyone was well received while Tamsin went off doing her things and getting attention from the media outlets. You are leaving already?" Dyson eyed Bo with scrutiny.

"Yeah, Bo is not feeling well. I'm bringing her home."

**xxxxx**

During the whole drive home, Bo became embroiled in her own thoughts. She couldn't understand how she got there. Life had struck her with many blows in the last month or so.

Did she deserve all this? Will there be more blows ahead, threatening to lash at her when she would least expect it?


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey guys, I know it has been a month and a half since I last updated this story, but I'm still here.**

**I hope everybody is doing ok. I know it's not easy but we'll get through this together. Meanwhile, stay safe, take care of yourself and of people around you.**

**For the moment, here's my contribution if you are looking for entertainment during this worldwide quarantine period; another short chapter of this BoLo angsty story. All mistakes are mine.**

**As always, please leave a comment or review.**

**Sending you all lots of LOVE!**

**XXXXX**

It was two in the afternoon and Kenzi had just got out of bed. She was alone in the clubhouse. She didn't know how late it was when Bo got back home as she was out drinking with Vex until the wee hours herself, but surely heard Bo leave the house around noon today. In fact, she didn't expect Bo to come back at all last night, but she was still too hung over earlier to bother getting up and ask her friend about it.

Now that she had devoured two toasts with thick layers of Nutella topped with another layer of strawberry jam and had drunk some pure water, she felt contented and was kind of curious about her friend whereabouts. She dialed Bo's number.

"Dude! Where are you?"

"Hey…Hey, hey Kenz! I'm at the Dal. Come join me…we'll do shots!" The woman on the other end shouted loudly in the phone.

"Yeah, I don't think so, I would need another hour or two before I'd be able to drink any liquor today. Are you coming back soon?"

"Nah, I'm having fun here. I just made a new friend, his name is…fuck I can't remember, but he's buying me drinks…and shots…and –"

"Bo, are you drunk?" But before an answer was given, Bo had hung up on her. "O…kayyy…" _This doesn't sound good. Maybe I should go check on her. Urgh…I wanted to do nothing, NOTHING AT ALL today…_

Kenzi sighed and dialed another number on her phone. "Vex, I need a ride..._NOW_!"

**xxxxx**

Kenzi found Bo exactly where she thought she would find her; at the bar. Kenzi and Vex had agree to bring Bo back home if she became too annoying or just too drunk to get home by herself, which was quite a possibility given the fact that Bo had started drinking a little too early to Kenzi's taste. Not that she would mind anyone taking shots at noon, or before noon, as this was something she had done many times in her life, but it was something Bo wouldn't normally do. So Kenzi assumed it had something to do with the Thornwood's party the previous night.

"Heyyyyy Kenzi! Vex! You guys came to keep me company?" Bo yelled as soon as she saw her friends.

"I thought a dude was keeping you company…"

"Nah, I kicked him out. He was being a douche after 5 shots. But don't worry, I made him pay for all the drinks before I literally kicked him out of the Dal." Bo laughed as she imitated the kick move.

"It was probably better for him that way." Vex said and turned to Kenzi, "That had probably saved his face and his cock from getting abused later…"

Kenzi punched Vex on the arm for the unnecessary comment, but she knew he was right. She looked for Trick behind the bar. Seeing he was far enough, she asked Bo, "So how was the party last night?"

"Ooooohhh, the party…correction, it wasn't a party, it was a fundraising event." Bo scoffed, "Well I met the whole family, and guess what? Rainer has a half-sister..."

"Okay…and?"

"Guess who it is?"

"Ivanka Trump?"

"No. Lauren."

"...Lauren?..."

"Yep! Lauren as in Dr. Lauren Lewis."

"Oh…Dear Zeus of all that is Holy! That's…shitty!"

"Yeah, you heard me right."

"Is it something I should be shocked about too?" Vex had some difficulty following the girls conversation. But nobody cared to answer him.

"So recap, Lauren was at the Thornwood's party last night…and…she's a Thornwood."

The drunk woman finished her beer and slammed the mug on the counter, "That is...correct!".

"As in…Jack Thornwood's daughter? How did that happen?"

"That's…their family…complicate situation. But, most importantly, Lauren saw me in Rainer's arms. I was introduced to her as her own half-brother's girlfriend! Can you imagine? How she must be feeling? Oh, Kenzi…I feel…terrible!" Bo hid her face with both of her hands. "She hates me now. She pretended she knew me only as her patient. And later, she told me to never talk to her again. She despises me. I lied to her, I cheated on her…and…like that wasn't enough, I cheated on her with _her_ brother. She must think I'm the worst person who has ever walked on this earth!"

"I definitely did not see that coming..." This revelation about Lauren's relationship with the Thornwood seemed to perturb Kenzi more than she would ever admit. Beside the fact that Lauren was someone her best friend really liked and even loved, Kenzi was the one who went to the Doctor in the hope to convince her to _fix_ things with Bo in the aftermath of their first kiss. Kenzi felt she played a small part in the events leading up to this unpleasant situation Bo was in at this moment. Although she knew it was all in good intention back then, a small feeling of guilt swept through her soul.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. But what are you going to do now? Had this ruined your cover?"

"Nope, still well covered…at least for now." Bo reassured as she took a shot of the Tanteo Jalapeno Tequila. "The other day, when I said I had a feeling I was losing the person…the _one_ person I wanted to be with…to have a relationship with, well it's confirmed!...and I know why now, she probably had already known about me and Rainer…somehow." Sad and upset, Bo put her head in hers hands, "Oh God, she must be wondering what kind of person does that to another person and how…heartless _I_ could be. It took her everything to finally open up to me about her past and I…I did _this_ to her. Oh Kenzi, I'm a horrible person!"

"Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" Vex asked, still confused.

"Uh…later Vex…maybe."

At the other end of the counter, an impatient Trick called for the two newcomers, "Kenzi, Vex, come over here!"

The two friends obeyed after telling Bo they would be right back. "What's up Trick?" the young woman asked the old man, who was displaying a concerned look.

"You guys need to take Bo home now before she gets out of control. I stopped counting the amount of drinks she had hours ago. I tried to stop her but…anyway, I've never seen her like this and she wouldn't really tell me what it's all about beside that it's…complicated."

"No worries Trick. Vex and I have planned to do exactly that. We'll knock her out if we need to and drag her home by the feet. We got this Trick, we got th –" Kenzi felt Vex tapping on her shoulder and turned to him, "What?"

"She's not here anymore…"

"What do you mean?"

"I think she'd left."

**xxxxx**

Lauren was getting ready for her night shift. She didn't give herself any break. She had barely had time to rest and last night she had not slept a bit. How could she? The image of Bo in Rainer's arms had kept her awake and she couldn't shake that off, couldn't get rid of it and wouldn't be able to for a very long time. She already knew that.

The fundraising event was a great success, even more successful than last year. But all that got overshadowed by the presence of a certain woman.

It shocked her and irritated her so much. She didn't expect for the man Bo was hugging and kissing that day in front of the Dal to be Rainer, the half-brother she hadn't seen for months. She didn't recognize him. From the back, he looked like any young fella from the neighborhood that day; he had let his hair grow into big curls, a huge change from the clean cut she had seen him last, in person, about eight months ago.

Even if they had not been much in contact during those two years, Rainer had been the only Thornwood member she was close with. She appreciated him a lot more than she thought she would. He was the person who had been able to convince her to accept them as her new family.

Lauren hadn't been able to forget what her father did to her mother, or rather, what he didn't do, but she had found a way to forgive him as he had seemed to truly regret the decisions he took back then and his actions. He hadn't been there for her or her mother and wanted to make up for all those years. But even when she tried to put the past behind, there had always been a certain distance between her and the man who claimed to be her father shortly after she turned eighteenth. The man she had rejected for years and years, until she had decided to make peace with him and her own anger.

And of course, not everyone was pleased by Lauren's introduction to the family. They had their reasons, but Lauren couldn't care less as she wasn't going to ask anything from the family, that was until the CF fundraising opportunity came along.

But now, now she didn't know how to feel about Rainer. Her own brother was with the woman she had thought she loved, as briefly as it was, and had wished to spend a great part of her life with, not long ago. She knew all this wasn't his fault, but she didn't know how she would act around him next time he would see him, with her.

Lauren had clearly told Bo to restrain from speaking to her again, but she could hardly imagine how that would be possible in these circumstances. Needless to say, the femme fatale seemed to always find a way to creep back into her life, in one way or another.

For now, Lauren could only try to avoid Bo as much as she could, and as long as she could.

She was getting change into clothes for work when her cellphone rang. It was Rainer. Lauren took a deep breath and answered.

"Hello Rainer."

"_Hi Lauren, how are you? I was told the evening ended very late._"

"It did. I was getting a little tired in the end."

"_I bet. You did a great job._"

"_We_ did a great job. You put as much effort in this project than I did Rainer."

Rainer chucked. "_Also, I wanted to apologize for yesterday_."

Lauren paused to think. Did he know something about Bo and her? Or did he notice something? The interaction between them?

"What for?" she asked.

"_For leaving early. Bo suddenly wasn't feeling good during your speech so we left and went back to my place._"

There was a long moment of silence before Lauren finally asked, "Is she okay now?"

"_Oh yeah, don't worry. When we got home, I took great care of her…all night_."

Lauren swallowed hard and her hand was gripping her phone hard too without her even realizing it.

"_Uhmmm, Lauren…also, I called 'cause I wanna know if you're coming to the cottage this year again. It's in two weeks._" Another moment of silence followed. "_Lauren?_"

"Uh…yeah, father had reminded me about it last night. But…unfortunately, I don't think I can make it this year. My shifts at the hospital – "

"_C'mon Lauren, it's the only occasion we really get to spend some real time together, you know that. Fundraising events don't count. And I know you enjoyed it last year at the cottage, a weekend getaway with the whole family once a year before summer arrives. It has always been a tradition in the Thornwood's and you are part of it now. Besides, I want my favorite sister and the rest of the family to get to know Bo as well, 'cause I'm bringing her_."

The woman's name triggered anger in Lauren again. Tight lips, she hurried to find a way to end this phone call. "Look…Rainer, let's talk about this another time. I gotta go, my night shift starts in less than an hour."

"_Okay, well think about this and try to make it. Try really hard_."

"I'll…I'll see what I can do."

"_Okay then, talk to you soon_."

"Bye…" As Lauren hit the button to end the call, she felt she needed to take a deep and long breath in order to pull herself back together.

_There is no way I would go to the cottage, spend a whole weekend with you, Bo Dennis, and pretend to be happy to see you with my brother in front of everyone. No way!_

**xxxxx**

Someone knocked on the door. It opened a few seconds later.

"Heyyyy…Handsome!" Leaned on the door frame, the woman enthusiastically shouted.

"Bo…are you…drunk?" A very surprised Ryan Asked.

"Maybe…but honestly, drunk Bo is just regular Bo except…twice as honest…and ten times as horny." The drunk woman laughed. "Got that quote from Kenzi." She then pulled on Ryan's shirt, moved her lips close to his and she said, "Hey…don't worry, it won't affect my skills in bed." She smiled, pulled away and winked at him.

"Uhhh Bo, what's…what's going on?"

"Mmmm, I…I need some healing, as in the song…you know…Sexual healing, oh babyyy, makes me feel sooo fine…sexual healing baby, is good for me…" Bo sang and laughed as she showed off some sensual moves with her hips.

"I don't think this is really what you want."

"But this what YOU want…real bad, don't you?" She ran her nails down Ryan's stomach, feeling the abs through his shirt.

Ryan was a little concerned; Bo was acting really weird, even for a drunk Bo, "What happened?"

Bo sighed, "I don't wanna talk about it…Look…Ryan, let's make a deal. I'll let you in if you let me in…Deal?"

Ryan let out a long sighed in turn. "Bo, I can do a lot of things, but I can't heal a broken heart."

"Work your magic…Ryan. Okay?"

After a brief moment of reflection, Ryan moved to the side and let the woman in his condo, knowing he might just regret all this the next morning.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hi dear readers! I hope everyone is safe and ****healthy.**

**You are still here, following this not so happy story of mine and I thank you for that. And please drop a quick review.**

**Despite the situation in the world right now, I wish you and your loved ones a Happy Easter.**

**As we say it here in Québec during this scary pandemic, "Ça va bien aller!"**

**XXXXX**

"_Hey Sweetie! I can't wait to see you this weekend. It will be fun. You'll love the cottage, the location and the landscape. It's beautiful, just like you._"

"Uhm…yeah, me too. I'm…uh…thrill to see your whole family again and…to actually get to know all of them this time." Bo was glad these words were said on the phone and not in person, that she didn't have to fake a smile at that moment. In fact, she was more stressed than anything else at the thought of spending the weekend with them, but it wasn't because of Jack Thornwood, or Dyson, or Rainer…

"_Yeah you will. You'll have the entire weekend. Everybody will be there, well…everybody beside Lauren._"

"Oh…Lauren won't be coming?" Bo straightened up in her chair, in the middle of the lab. She was surprised at first, but a feeling of relief quickly followed.

"_No she won't, unfortunately. She called and texted us yesterday to confirm it, that she won't be able to make it. I'm disappointed too but…oh well, you'll see her again another time, better sooner than later and I will make sure of it._"

"That's uh…that's really unfortunate, yes." Nothing she had said came out naturally. She had to focus on what Rainer say and had to think about the responses she gave. Bo was not in the mood for anything but felt she had to pretend to be.

"_You'll love her and you two will get along with each other, I already know that. It's more than just a feeling._"

To this, Bo didn't know what to say. She got lost in her thoughts for a brief moment until Rainer spoke again.

"_Okay, so I'll come pick you up on Friday, right after work. Sounds good to you?_"

"Sure."

"_Alright, I'll see you then. Have a good day beautiful._"

"Thanks, you too Rainer." Bo hung up and sighed loudly.

**xxxxx**

"Hey dad, here are the documents you wanted me to bring over." Dyson handed the leather document holder.

"Thanks Son." Jack took the folders and put them on his desk. "I won't say it enough, but I love working from the comfort of my own home. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to do this if I didn't have good partners and right hands at the office in charge of all the operations. Son, all this will be yours to run one day. You'll be the President and the CEO, I have no doubt you'll get there a lot sooner than you'd think."

"Oh, I'm not in a hurry. Besides, there's still so much to learn."

"Honey, you forgot your coffee downstairs." Evony appeared at the door. "Morning Dyson." She said to the younger Thornwood as she walked by. "Here, I warmed it up for you." She leaned over her husband's desk and put the cup down. She made sure her cleavage was in full display to Dyson.

No matter the occasion or the situation, his young step-mother continuously sought for attention. She loved it. She needed it. The more the merrier. Sometimes, like this time, her gesture was subtle but could not have been missed.

Dyson was an observer, so he didn't hide he was observing his step-mother but kept his opinion for himself and looked back at his father. "Also, I'm might arrive a little late for supper on Friday. I have a meeting with one of our investors and it might stretch out late into the afternoon."

"It'd be fine even if you don't make it for the first meal. I just expect you and your brother there this weekend. We will already have to make it without Lauren, I don't want any of my other children to be absent from this get together."

"No worries Dad. Rainer said he should be there in the early evening with his girlfriend."

"Girlfriend…that's right. What's her name again?" Jack asked without much interest and took a sip of his coffee.

"Bo."

The older man simply raised an eyebrow as he slowly swallowed his morning drink.

"Speaking of Lauren and…this Bo, they seemed to have a special relationship." Evony couldn't resist putting this observation out there.

"What do you mean?" Dyson took a sudden interest in what Evony said. "Well, Rainer did mention to me that Lauren happens to be Bo's doctor…at some point."

"Oh, I can tell you that their bathroom interaction was a little more than a doctor-patient conversation, or a talk between a sister and her brother's new girlfriend."

"And…what kind of conversation was it then?" Dyson asked with greater curiosity.

"The one that made me believe they were…or used to be…intimate." A sly smile appeared at the corner of her lips. She went around the desk and sat on the curved leather sofa. She took a business magazine from a pile sitting on the coffee table and flipped the pages as she continued on her thoughts, "I heard them talking and being intense at each other. Of course, they didn't know I was there." She let the statement make its way to the now suspicious minds of the two men. Waving her hand as to chase away the idea, she added, with obvious sarcasm in her voice, "But hey, that is just my impression. Maybe it _was_ just an intense…intimate doctor and patient conversation."

"Okay, that _is_ strange. If they've known each other in the past in any other circumstances than medically, I can assure you Rainer does not know about that. Besides, he also did mention that there are things about Bo he didn't know and only learned about it at the fundraising night."

"Oh…and…what would those _things_ be?"

"Well, one that I remember was…that her last name wasn't even McCorrigan – "

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, her real name sounds a lot less Gaelic and a lot more…French. It's something along the line of…Denis, I think."

"Denis?..Not a very common surname here, but why would she lie about her family name?"

"I think it's for the same reason than Lauren, she prefers her mother surname over her father's, or something like that."

"Or…there is more than meets the eye…" Evony couldn't resist going one further.

"Well, McCorrigan or Denis, I'm sure she's a special woman if Rainer is dating her and wants to bring her to our family event. Let's hope we'll learn more about this young lady and get to know her better over the weekend." Jack stood up as to give a signal, "Now, I'm afraid that I'll have to dismiss myself from this fun talk. As you can see, there's a pile of documents waiting for me to go through." He turned to his son, "But Dyson, before you leave, I wanted to tell you that you did a great job looking after the company with Lachlan in my absence. I know I have nothing to worry about when you're in charge."

"You can always count on me Dad. I won't let anything happen to Morpheus, you know that. You worked so hard to build it and invested so much of yourself for the company to get the image and reputation it has now."

"You make me happy Son." Jack turned to his wife and smiled, "Honey, I'll be down there for lunch. Don't worry, I won't make you wait."

After Dyson and Evony left his office, Jack picked up the phone and dialed his brother's number. "Lachlan, how is it going? …Oh well…you remember the…_incident_ with the finance VP? ...Yes, him. Would you have your…_contacts_ look up someone's family background for me?"

**xxxxx**

"A whole weekend huh?"

"Yup!" The documentary program on TV wasn't interesting enough to pull Bo out of her thoughts.

"Well…Great! Isn't that what you were hoping for? …an opportunity to get even closer to Mr. Morpheus himself, to the truth?"

"Yeah, it was. It _is_…but now every time I think of them, of Rainer or of his father, I can't help but think about Lauren too, though…not in the same way I used to."

"You know, maybe it's not too late to fix things with Lauren. Maybe she'll understand?"

"Oh no! There is no fixing anymore. I can't see how all this can be fixed with Lauren. I…I gave up on it the moment I realized she was Rainer's sister…and Jack Thornwood's daughter. I royally fucked it up with her! There is nothing left to be saved between us, _nothing_!" Bo took a sip of her wine, her eyes not leaving the television. "It would be foolish to hope that she would want to listen to me, never mind to believe me." She turned to Kenzi, "How do you think that would play out? Hey Lauren! I got something to tell you, I got a good reason to lie to you and to cheat on you with your brother. I have nothing to support it…like ZE-RO proof, but I think your father had my parents killed twenty years ago and I am now investigating on your family to find that said proof."

Kenzi winced, "That doesn't sound too improbable."

"It sounds exactly like a bad revelation scene in a bad thriller movie!"

"You're right..." Kenzi sighed.

"And if I ever go that way, she would either laugh at me or hate me even more for ruining her family's relationship with one another. Or…she'll do both. And either way, my cover will be ruined for sure." Bo turned back to the TV, "The only good thing about this weekend is that she won't be there, so I can put all my focus on Jack and everyone else who can give me some information, some clue."

Bo didn't think she would one day feel this way towards Lauren, but as of right now, she was glad she wouldn't get to see the doctor for a while. She looked at her wine glass and, in one swallow, emptied it of the red liquid.

**xxxxx**

Lauren opened the last bottle and filled her wine glass to the top. Still standing at the little kitchen island, she took a long sip from the wine. In the past week and a half, almost every day after her shifts, she had swapped the need to bury herself in medical books for the satisfaction a glass of red wine procured her.

As days went by, she had noticed small changes in her habits, in her way of thinking, in her deepest desires. She had come to realize she had changed a lot in two, almost three months. Meeting that particular woman and letting her in, had deeply impacted her life, in such ways Lauren would never want to admit.

It had completely transformed her, for better or for worst.

Bitter. That was how her wine tasted, and it perfectly mirrored the multilayered emotion Lauren was having lately. Even the bold red color of the liquid well described her feelings.

She reached out for her phone, then, she hesitated for a moment, wondering if she was really going to take that route. She finally made up her mind and typed a few words. With the same sharpness than the wine, she hit the _Send_ button.

At that moment Lauren knew she was about to do, for the second time, a very bad thing. The worst thing she could do to herself. Something she will probably regret, but she had to. She wanted that satisfaction.

Lauren had a strong sense of self, and now that self of hers had just terribly drifted and taken a one eighty turn.

Feeling tremendously resentful, she finished the wine and unconsciously put the glass back down on the marble counter so hard the stem broke. The broken end pierced into the skin of her palm and, with certain contemplation, she watched the bold red color of the liquid dripping from her hand blending with the same bold red color of small drops of wine on the counter.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hi everyone! I know it's been long time but the pandemic had affected my routine in a way that it was hard to find time and motivation to write. All the protests and everything else that's happening in the world aren't helping either.**

**But I am well and healthy, thank you for asking. I hope you are too.**

**I am back and I promise it won't take as long for the next chapters.**

**Enjoy and please review! Th****ank you!**

**Stay safe everybody!**

**Love xx**

**XXXXX**

The hour long drive took them to a rural country road zigzagging between rows of spikes like trees. Rainer pulled into the driveway of a wood and stone made mansion in a secluded area. "Here we are!" he exclaimed and jumped out of the car to help Bo get the travel bags they had packed for the weekend out of the trunk. It was quiet and nobody was in sight, however a convertible Bentley was parked in the driveway.

Bo let Rainer lead the way as he opened the door that was left unlocked. The high ceiling, stone walls and wooden beams gave a rare charm to this old English-style cottage; Bo was impressed on how rich people can have real good taste too.

As they entered, they noticed it was a little too quite. Nobody seemed to be in the house; the only noises were the one they made.

"Leave the bags here and come with me, I think I know where they are." Rainer walked across the living room, then the dining area all the way to the back where two big French doors opened up onto a vast the backyard. On the cobblestone patio, Jack Thornwood was found sitting in a large lounge sofa. The man was about to cut his cigar when he saw the newcomers.

"Rainer, here you are – you and your lovely…Bo." Jack said to his son and his son's girlfriend with a wide smile and offered them to take a seat around the patio coffee table. "You arrive just on time, before Marla gets impatient. I think she 'll be done preparing supper soon and…Evony is up there getting changed, she should be down here in a few minutes."

"Marla is our housekeeper. She stays here and looks after the cottage." Rainer informed Bo before she even asked.

"Oh." Bo simply said, she then looked at Rainer and his father, "Um, I've been holding myself for a while already, may I ask where the bathroom is?"

"Just take the hallway on the left side of the living room." Jack pointed his glass of whiskey to the direction.

"Thank you."

"When you come back, Rainer can take you to the lovebirds' bedroom for the weekend so you can settle your stuff and feel a little more at home before supper."

"Oh…Dad, I thought Bo and I would get the guesthouse…"

"No, it's already taken."

Bo had left the conversation and was already on her way to the bathroom. There were definitely nothing cheap about this cottage. The wood, the stone and other material used to build this house were merely the original; everything had been renewed and upgraded. The decoration was also of high end value items.

Once in the bathroom, Bo looked into the mirror and stared at herself. She started to have doubts about all the things she had done, and those she was still doing. She wondered if she would ever get what she wanted, if she would ever find what she was looking for. How long would she still have to play along, act and pretend? She felt she was becoming impatient, or discouraged. She started to doubt herself and what she could actually achieve. Then, she saw her parents' face in her mind. _I got to do this…for you mom, for you dad…I got to do this_. She took a deep breath, knowing she had to resume what she was doing and put that smile back on her face.

Bo returned to the backyard only to find that someone else was there with Rainer and his father. Maybe it was Evony, Bo thought.

It wasn't.

"Hello Bo. It's not much of a surprise we get to see each other again." Lauren was there, sitting between Rainer and his step-mother, with her legs crossed and a bottle of beer in hand, smiling at Bo.

Shocked, Bo was. Again. And the smile she was getting from Lauren was one fake and unarguably cold one. She wasn't used to it. The Doctor's presence threw Bo off and she became short of words. But sensing everybody's eyes on her, she uttered a few words, "Lauren…it's…it's nice to see you…again too." She swallowed and cleared her throat. "But…I thought…you weren't coming…" Bo said and quickly looked at Rainer, as if she was waiting for him to explain.

"Lauren was supposed to be working this weekend but she found a way to get a replacement at the hospital so that she could spend this time with all of us. She texted Dad yesterday, so I didn't know she was coming either until now." Rainer turned to his half-sister, "We definitely didn't expect to see you, but here you are! What a great surprise Lauren!"

"Yes, what a surprise Lauren! I didn't even think you liked family reunion." Evony said sarcastically as she walked onto the patio with a glass of wine in hand, already half empty. Just before taking a seat next to Jack, she turned toward Bo and gave her a look, scanning her up and down, then turned to Lauren and added, "Especially this year, with a new and…special guest, I really thought you would have tried to miss it no matter what." The step-mother said with a smirk.

"Yes, I'm glad to be here too, Evony. And no, I wouldn't want to miss this." Lauren replied. She raised her bottle of beer in a toast and smiled, but her eyes were laid on Bo.

"You didn't wait for me?" a male voice came from behind the group.

"Dyson, it was about time you arrive!" Rainer said in a mocking tone.

"Well, not a moment too soon. I'm hungry. Shall we?" Evony commented before she got up and forced everyone to follow her to the dining table inside the house.

"Well, let's do this!" Rainer exclaimed, then turned to Bo, "We'll bring our luggage up in our room after supper."

During the meal, everybody was chatty but Bo. Even Lauren seemed to be acting normal, but at the same time, she obviously avoided talking to Bo or looking at Bo. She simply ignored her. That was, until Lauren herself decided otherwise, but the tone in her voice and her whole expression strangely changed when addressing to her brother's girlfriend.

"So Bo, when did you meet my brother?" Lauren asked, as if it was by simple curiosity. But it wasn't and it caught Bo off guard.

"Ummm, uh, a few weeks…four, maybe five weeks ago…?"

"I'd say more than that…more like six weeks Honey. It was during that charity golf tournament, and that was actually almost seven weeks ago."

"Oh…was that when you got hurt...With a golf ball and came to the emergency room?" Lauren asked as she cut a piece of her chicken breast and just before putting the piece in her mouth, she looked Bo deep in the eyes, "wasn't it?"

Bo could feel the intensity of Lauren's scrutiny. She knew Lauren was waiting for her to lie in her face. She was looking at Lauren staring at her after the doctor took a sip of her wine, then held her glass in the air, showing part of a deep cut on her palm, and resting her elbow on the table in a nonchalant way, but at the same time pressuring Bo for an answer as all the attention was on Bo.

And yet, Lauren seemed to be in full control of her emotions. She looked so determined, it was scary.

Bo didn't know what Lauren was really up to, but she didn't want to lie to her anymore. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best time for her to come clean to anyone, so she gave a simple answer, something that didn't require her to lie. "Uh…no, actually, the accident happened about two weeks before…before Rainer and I met."

"What a coincidence! What were the chances to meet Lauren, then Rainer just two weeks apart, in totally different circumstances without knowing they were brother and sister?" Dyson couldn't resist making that comment.

Lauren looked hard at Bo for an instant which caused the guest to feel terribly uncomfortable. Bo avoided looking back at Lauren. Suddenly, everybody's eyes were on Bo too. Each one of them had a particular expression on their face; Evony smirked as if she knew some drama had just started, Dyson gave a suspicious stare, Lauren kept the same hard look, and Jack took a sip of his wine while acting totally indifferent. Too indifferent.

A moment of awkward silence ensued.

Rainer pulled his girlfriend in for a kiss on the cheek, "Yes, and it was love at first sight, right Honey?" Bo simply responded with a forced smile, but this time she ventured looking up at Lauren, in search of her reaction. She couldn't help but notice Lauren was quite good at putting on a poker face and acting indifferent, something Bo would not have imagined Lauren capable of a month ago. Nevertheless, she was able to catch Lauren's gazes upon her here and there, but what she didn't know was that they were fully intended to make her feel uncomfortable.

**xxxxx**

After a few hours of chit chat until late into the evening, Lauren took her leave from the group for the night and went back to the guesthouse where she would be staying for the weekend. The guesthouse sort of became Lauren's since she joined the family and she was grateful to have a little private and separate place whenever there was family gathering at the cottage. She needed it.

It had made Rainer a little jealous to know that Lauren had the place as he thought she wasn't coming and he would have gotten the sanctuary house for himself, and his girlfriend. However, he was very happy to see his sister and knew if he had insisted, Lauren would certainly have been more than happy to leave it to him.

In the guesthouse, the living room was connected to the bedroom without any door or any other real separation. The dining table was set in the middle of the small kitchen, at the opposite side, on the other end of the house from the bedroom. Lauren let herself fall on the couch sloppily. She needed to get some physical, but mostly some mental rest. Then, it happened again. The unpleasant mood hit her. Lauren's heart quickened and her thoughts raced to the image of the brunette in tight black and blue clothing, leaning on Rainer when they were all sitting in the cottage living room earlier in the evening.

It was true that Lauren had managed to be busy this weekend so she could miss the reunion, but she had changed her mind in the middle of the week and had finally decided to come. But it was not without a purpose, a personal and very specific purpose.

She came here to face Bo, and make her pay, in one way or another.

She deeply wanted Bo to regret everything. Everything she had done to her, to her heart, to her soul. As her jaws crisped and her mind full of mad thoughts, somebody knocked on the door and it rapidly brought her back down to earth, to reality. She shook her head, took a deep breath, then walked to the door and opened it.

On the doorstep, there stood the woman, as if she heard Lauren's thoughts and came to confirm them.

Bo looked hesitant and somehow surprised, but not as surprised as Lauren was. Neither of them said a word for what seemed like an eternity.

Lauren had wanted this moment. In fact, she had been waiting for a moment alone with Bo all evening; the occasion to make Bo feel awful, in any way possible, preferably subtly, but surely.

Then Bo spoke first. "Lauren…I…" She looked down at her feet a few seconds, gathering her courage. When she looked back at Lauren, she was still very hesitant, "Can I…come in for a minute?"

Without saying anything, Lauren freed up the doorway and let Bo in.

Once inside, Bo didn't dare going further as she knew she wasn't really as welcomed as one could think, so she stayed in the lobby. She looked around to discover the small but very warm little house, which she had noticed was conveniently located between the main cottage and the lake.

"I didn't see your car when we arrived earlier…I see you parked it down here. I…I really thought you weren't coming…that's why I agreed to come this weekend." Bo admitted.

Lauren showed no reaction. She simply walked to the bay window in the small living room, crossed her arms on her chest and looked onto the horizon, over the lake.

Bo moved a little further in, to the middle of the house. "Look, you must think I'm a terrible person, and…in a way, I probably am. But I want you to know, everything I did, I had my reasons." She waited for Lauren to say something, anything.

"I know." Lauren turned around and looked Bo in the eyes, "I know your reasons."

Bo had expected a reaction, but this was not what she had expected to hear. "You know?" she asked, barely audible to anyone else but herself.

Lauren unfolded her arms and walked up to Bo. She got very close to her, until their faces were merely inches away. So close she could hear Bo's nervous breathing. She kept looking at her in the eyes for a moment and then, slowly, she began to circle the woman, who was standing incredibly still in the small room. She kept looking hard at Bo and knew the woman could feel the intensity of her silence, just like at the dining table during supper.

As Lauren kept moving around Bo, her hips slightly touched the back of Bo's hand. Then, in what seemed done in an intentional manner, Lauren's hand brushed Bo's bottom.

Inevitably, this sent shivers down Bo's spine. It took the brunette by surprise and cut her breathing off for a long moment.

Lauren could see that the other woman became more nervous with every move she made. She was also very conscious of the significant and extensive effect it created on Bo. And that only incited her to go further into this mind game and to cause more torture to her special and vulnerable guest. "You went after me. But that wasn't enough for you. You had to go after Rainer, my brother too." Lauren kept circling like a shark on its prey. "If you could, you would have gone after our father too."

Bo felt a cold shiver running down her spine. How could Lauren possibly know? How could she know Bo had an agenda and what her agenda was?

Lauren stopped in her movement to lean into Bo's ear and whispered "You're a gold digger." Her knives were out for Bo. In fact, they had been out days leading up to this moment.

But as much as Lauren wanted to hurt Bo, she caught herself gazing at the woman with an intense desire as her lips brushed Bo's earlobe. Suddenly, her heart started to beat faster in her chest. She felt an urge to caress the woman's cheeks with her fingertips and could almost see herself put her lips on ex-lovers' ones, and angrily, passionately kiss her. When her eyes moved down Bo's cleavage, Lauren was barely able to keep her hands still.

Lust had taken over Lauren and she fought hard to control herself.

"G-Gold digger?" Bo felt like the words were spit at her in the face and it left her astounded.

Lauren had said them with as much severity and intention as she could express.

"Is…is that really what you think of me?" On that moment, Bo caught herself suppressing the need to scream _No Lauren! You're wrong!_ And instead, she stood there, watching Lauren watching her, watching Lauren waiting for more reaction from her. Bo showed no more sign of dismay or perturbation, but knew Lauren must have had felt that she was panicking and upset inside. Hurt, Bo was indeed, even though she should have felt relieved Lauren didn't know the truth, but the mix of emotions overwhelming her on that moment didn't allow her to realize it.

"Well Bo, I dare you to say it isn't so."

Bo swallowed, "It…it was all a mistake…" she said with a tinge of despair in her broken voice. Deep inside, she wanted to cry. To avoid showing more of her profound disappointment, pain and misery, and without saying anything else to Lauren, she ran out of the house, leaving Lauren with a mix feeling in turn.

Standing by the lake, Dyson just witnessed his brother's girlfriend leaving his half-sister's place in hurry, and upset as hell, the same way she left the fundraising event during Lauren's speech.

**xxxxx**

Pearls of sweat ran down Bo's face, from her cheeks to her chin, to end in her neck as she climbed the steps and made her way up to the panoramic view halt at the top. The pathway was not made for people with bad physical condition, but was still a very popular trail for locals and tourists alike. It ran along a rocky cliff just high enough to be dangerous and deadly if walkers and trekkers dared leaving the path on a bad weather day as the ground could become very slippery.

This run was needed. It had been three days that Bo had been tormented by what was going on with her love life and her plans to seek vengeance. She never thought at the beginning, when she made the decision to take this matter in hands, that these two aspects of her life would come and collide together. She was so determined, so sure of her decision; never ever had she thought she would regret anything for one second.

She felt so torn inside, but worse, she felt the pain she had caused Lauren. A pain so deep it had changed the gentle and sweet nature of the good doctor she once knew. She barely recognized her that night. She kept seeing anger in Lauren's eyes and there was that same unflinching determination Bo recognized in them as she herself had it in hers too.

Bo knew Lauren wanted to hurt her in return. She knew every word Lauren said and every gesture Lauren did was calculated.

She arrived at the small belvedere, exhausted and soaked. The halt was particularly crowd free today. Perhaps the weather had discouraged some runners and walkers from hiking up here as the morning mist had become a little heavier and thicker.

She stood there catching her breath and looking down to the city from the top of the 280 feet mountain where she could see for miles around. She was thinking about how she would handle the situation and everything else, when all of a sudden, the sound of branches being crushed in the vicinity drew her out of her thoughts. A strange feeling then took over her as she felt a presence right behind her.

She turned around.

She only got to see something red from the corner of her eye when strong hands pushed her in the back. She let out a scream, a scream of terror. Her eyes widened as she tripped over the guard rail and over the edge; she was falling off the escarpment and there was nothing that could stop her. She tumbled for what felt like forever, hitting trees and branches along the way. She felt helpless and out of control, almost like being in a dream. Halfway down the cliff, the threes gave way and Bo was left falling through the air. Before she knew it, she was hurtling over grass, earth and rock, scrapping her face and her arms, until the cliff slope became even steeper and she fell farther.

A little later, Bo hit a rock and just before she completely blacked out, Lauren's face appeared before her eyes.


End file.
